The Woes Of Ginny Weasley: Sequel To Cursed Tattoo
by bricat
Summary: Harry is gone, disappeared, and no one knows where he might be, or if he's even alive. Ginny must try to move on with her life,and struggle to be the best mother possible.
1. Prologue: A Promise

Prologue: A Promise

August, 2002

The Daily Prophet had taken full advantage of Bellatrix Lestrange's escape; the morning's headlines screamed about ineptitudes in the Auror office. After such a report Ginny fully expected to find the Ministry of Magic overflowing with angry people. She was counting on it, in fact, because it was always much easier to keep a low profile when surrounded by a crowd, and after everything that had happened in the last few days, anonymity was exactly what she wanted.

As the booth descended into the atrium it was clear that her wish hadn't been granted. No more than three-dozen people were milling about the place and they looked up as she stepped out of the booth. Several people obviously recognized her. They immediately started whispering to their neighbours, nodding their heads in her direction. This simple reaction was enough to make her consider leaving and returning another time.

Ginny was on the verge of turning around when she came to her senses. Before leaving the Burrow several hours ago she had decided that she would find Harry today and tell him about the baby, no matter what it took. She had been to his flat. When he wasn't there she checked at Ron and Hermione's, Lupin's and Grimmauld Place. The Ministry was the last obvious place that he could be, and it would be stupid and a waste of time to leave without first checking that he was there. Pulling her sweater closer, she forced herself to smile, and headed into the Ministry.

Much as she tried, she couldn't stop fidgeting the entire time it took to register her wand, and it only got worse once she joined the queue for the lifts. Her inability to stop was attracting the sort of attention that she wanted to avoid, but the nerves that had been plaguing her for weeks were increasing exponentially and she was consumed with worrisome questions like whether she would chicken out again, and how Harry would react if she didn't.

Trapped in the lifts as they made their way up to the second floor at a snail's pace, Ginny was plunged back into memories of their conversation from twenty-four hours earlier. She could see clearly the look of absolute betrayal that Harry had given her, feel the sting of his accusations as though he had just uttered them. She had to remind herself that he hadn't known the truth when he had ostensibly called her a whore. Trying to see things logically, she wondered if she would have reacted similarly if their roles had been reversed? But if logic was being applied to that situation, then Harry should have known that something was wrong. He should have realized that she would never, ever let a skeeve like Dudley Dursley touch her willingly.

Ginny was grateful that her arrival wasn't expected because she needed to take a moment to collect herself before she set off to find out if Harry was there. Leaning against the wall and closing her eyes, she let the voices of office workers wash over her like waves from the sea, allowing her heart beat to slow and her breathing to return to normal. It was easy to relax when she was surrounded by such a state of normality, or it was until someone touched her arm, making her jump. She opened her eyes to see that she was standing face to face with Romeo De Rossi, one of the Aurors Harry had trained with, and right now he was fixing her with a lecherous smile that was all-too familiar.

"What do you want?" she demanded, backing away several steps, tightening the grip on her wand and pointing it at him.

"I startled you?" he asked, watching her wand in amusement for a moment, but the smile fell from his face when Ginny didn't lower it. When he delayed in answering her question, Ginny twitched her wand, telling him to get a move on with his explanation.

"Blimey, Weasley. I was just saying hello," Rossi said indignantly. "That's no reason to point your wand at me."

"It would be more polite to have _said_ hello," Ginny said angrily. She lowered her wand slowly, more frustrated with herself than she was with Rossi. Had he really looked at her in the same way as Harry's cousin had on occasion, or had she just imagined that because of what she had been thinking while in the lift?

"I'll keep that in mind for future," he said, walking backwards, like he was scared to turn his back on her. He wasn't paying attention to what was going on behind him and as a result he walked straight into Briony Wright and knocked an envelope out of her hand.

"I'm so sorry," she said to Rossi bending down to pick it up. It was when she straightened up that she noticed Ginny and a look of deepest disgust came over her face. "What are you doing here?"

"I might ask you the same question," Ginny replied. The very last person she'd expected to see here after the events at Malfoy Manor the previous evening, was Briony, especially after Lestrange revealed her as the one leaking Ministry secrets. Even with Lestrange's admission that Briony had been bewitched; shouldn't there have been some sort of investigation, some administrative leave perhaps? But no, it looked like everything had returned to business as usual.

"I'll leave you two to discuss . . . " Rossi trailed off, backing away even before he started talking. It was only after he had disappeared down a row of cubicles that Briony spoke again.

"I will let Harry know you're here." She held up the envelope and said, "This is a matter of some urgency, excuse me."

At the news that Harry was definitely here it felt like Ginny's heart had risen into her throat. She backed into the opposite wall as Briony knocked on a door to her right. Someone called out for her to enter, which she did, leaving the door ajar and allowing the tail end of what had obviously been a heated conversation waft into the corridor.

Kingsley was standing at the front of the room. It was to him that Briony handed the envelope. She jerked her head in Ginny's direction, obviously telling him she was there. Kingsley frowned as he glanced at her. Ginny tried to smile, but her nerves got the better of her when several other people leaned over in their chairs to look out the door. One of those people was Harry, and looked as pleased to see her as Briony had.

"That'll be all for now," Kingsley said. He started reading the letter and didn't look up as he spoke.

Chairs scraped the floor as they were pushed back from the table, and the sound of rustling parchment got louder as people started to leave the room. Several of them smiled or said hello as they passed. Ginny tried to return their greetings, but most of her smiles came out as grimaces, she was sure. Briony and Tougas were among the last to leave. While Briony avoided looking at Ginny, Tougas didn't. He was wearing a strange expression. For a moment Ginny thought it might have been sympathy, and her stomach clenched, wondering exactly how much Briony had told him about what happened. Kingsley came out last.

"You can go in. He's waiting for you," he said, putting a hand on her shoulder. He withdrew it quickly when she flinched.

"Sorry," she mumbled, crossing her arms over her chest protectively.

"Don't apologize, Ginny." He smiled weakly before walking away. Ginny stared after him for a moment. Something in his look reminded her of the one Tougas had given her. Had she been seeing things?

Ginny waited for each person to disappear down his or her respective row before she took a deep breath and slowly walked into the room. Harry was staring out of the lone window in the room and had his back to her. He didn't speak until she closed the door.

"What are you doing here?" he asked angrily, without turning around. "I thought that you understood this morning that we can't keep doing _this_."

"You didn't exactly give me time to say anything this morning," she replied, having to remind herself that not all his anger was directed at her. It had sounded like all the members of the task force were hacked off before she got there.

"And I haven't changed it," he said, turning around. "You've wasted a trip."

"You might want to hear what I have to say before you rush to that judgment, Harry." She was able to keep her voice even, but her nerves already had her on edge, and his attitude wasn't helping. With the idea of getting the news out as soon as possible, but still wanting to prepare him, she said, "Do you remember that there was something I wanted to talk to you about _that_ night?" Ginny knew from the way his face contorted that Harry knew exactly which night she was talking about.

"Yeah. It couldn't have waited?" he asked impatiently.

"No, it couldn't," she snapped. And then before she could offer any more preparatory statements the words fell out of her mouth. I'm pregnant."

It was like a silencing charm had been cast. The only thing Ginny could hear was the beating of her heart, and each breath she took. She watched Harry closely for some sort of reaction, but for several long seconds there was nothing, and then finally,

"Wh - what?"

"I'm pregnant." She paused, and in that moment a horrible question occurred to her: What if he thought that this was a result of what happened that night? Swallowing the bubble of vomit that rose in her throat, she added: "I've known since the last Quidditch game."

"This isn't amusing, Ginny." Harry said flatly. He came close enough to touch her, though he didn't, and said, "Are you sure?"

"Of course I'm sure. And I'm not laughing, am I?" Ginny placed one hand on the back of a chair for support while the one still holding her wand went automatically to her abdomen. Another full minute passed in silence, with Harry alternating between pacing around the room, and staring at the hand she had resting on her abdomen. Ginny wanted to say something, but her throat felt like it had closed up. In any case, she had never been able to think past what would happen after she finally confessed the truth, and she was quite willing to follow his lead.

"Great," he said at last, sounding angry again. He ignored her request for explanation and walked straight past her with only the most cursory glance. At the door he paused, said, "Wait here. I'll be back." And then he was gone, muttering curses.

Such was her frustration with this reaction that Ginny said "To hell with this" and started to leave. She had her hand on the doorknob when she changed her mind and turned around. Instead, she imitated Harry and took a turn about the room, thinking. If she left they still wouldn't have anything sorted out, and given how much time had passed already, she decided that she would be better off to stay.

On her third or fourth go round, Ginny looked up, straight into the face of one of her best friends: Colin Creevey. She stepped right up close and examined the photo. It had been taken on the day he graduated from Hogwarts, a day filled with the promise of exciting future. To have it all end so soon, and for such a stupid, pointless, self-serving reason as Lestrange's . . .

It was the click of the latch that announced Harry's return. Ginny turned her head away from the photo at last, cringing because she wasn't quite sure what to expect. But she needn't have worried. Harry covered the distance between them in several long strides, took her hands in his and pulled her over to the table again, where they both sat down.

"You're _absolutely_ sure?" he asked, watching her closely.

"I am."

Harry sighed heavily, let go of her hands and rubbed his eyes.

"How is it possible?" he asked at last.

"You don't really need me to answer that, do you?" She smiled wanly.

Harry's smile was equally weak. Then he asked the question Ginny had been dreading for weeks. "If you've known for so long, why are you only telling me about this now?"

Ginny hesitated. It wasn't that she didn't want to answer, but she knew how feeble her reasons were.

"Because . . . " She said slowly, still thinking of some way to explain her decisions, but there really wasn't any, and at last Ginny decided to speak plainly and let things sort themselves out. She stood up and started following the path she'd taken earlier.

"When Ikey told me I thought it was another one of her jokes. You know, the ones she thinks are funny, but really aren't."

Harry sat up straighter in his chair and nodded. For a moment it looked like he was going to say something, but then he waved his hand dismissing his thought and inviting her to continue.

"Do you remember when we got back to the Burrow after the game? I almost told you then. I think I wanted someone to agree with me that Ikey was mad. But I didn't say anything because I didn't want it hanging over your head when you were headed straight back to work. I wish I _had_ said something," she muttered bitterly, folding her arms across her chest.

"So do I," Harry replied. He stood and started following her as she made circles around the table. It was as they passed the window for the third time that he spoke again. "What's done is done. Now what do we do?"

"We?" Ginny stopped so suddenly that Harry walked into her. Ignoring his apology, she said, "This morning you couldn't leave fast enough."

"I know I did, but . . . " Harry said, scratching the back of his neck uncomfortably.

"I didn't tell you about the baby to get you to change your mind about us, you know." She felt it was important to explain this.

"Ah. And so you expected me to do what, then? Say congratulations, have a nice life?"

"No. I – I don't know what I expected," she said truthfully, walking to the window and staring out. Today Magical Maintenance had decided to have it act like a real window. Ginny watched an aeroplane fly overhead before she continued. "After you left this morning I really didn't know what to expect, I just thought you had a right to know." She put her hand to her abdomen again. Harry came to stand behind her, close enough that she could feel the warmth of his breath on her neck.

"Thank you," he said, softly, and started to put his hands on her shoulders but Ginny gasped and he backed away, apologizing.

For the first time today, she wasn't cringing from someone's touch, though. She could feel a fluttery, sort of queasy feeling in her abdomen. It had been happening on and off all day, but until this moment she hadn't recognized it for what it was.

"What's wrong, Gin?" he asked when she didn't respond immediately.

"I think he's moving. Here." Ginny turned around, took Harry's hand and placed it on the barely perceptible bump, and then watched Harry closely for his reaction. He continued to look confused and she started to think he wasn't able to feel anything, but then his eyes widened in shock.

"It's – that's the baby?" he asked, his voice hoarse.

"Yeah, I think so. It feels like what Fleur described when she was pregnant with the twins," she replied, pressing her hand harder to her stomach in awe.

For weeks and weeks all the baby had been to her was a laundry list of problems. How could this have happened? How would it affect Quidditch? How would Harry react, and so forth. She hadn't taken the time to think about what was at the end of all this worry: a life, a tiny little boy or girl who would need to be loved and cared for, A child who might end up with her ginger hair, or bright green eyes like Harry's.

It was strange how things could change so quickly. Twenty or thirty minutes earlier Ginny had been almost sick with nerves about telling Harry, and now she was as close to happiness as she'd been in a long time. She might have stood there for hours, lost in thoughts about their baby if Harry didn't run his finger lightly over her cheek.

"I've really buggered things up, haven't I?"

"You could have handled them better," she admitted, speaking quietly. She had just realized how close they were standing, and he still had a hand on her abdomen. She reached up and touched his cheek, feeling the scratchiness of a few days' stubble.

"Should have been, you mean," he corrected, self-disgust in his voice. Then he took her hands in his again. "Listen, Gin, the point I'm trying to make is that I don't really have any right to ask, but I will make it up to you, if you'll let me."

She hesitated very briefly before nodding. Some people would call her crazy for agreeing so readily after everything that had happened, but she just knew that things were different this time.

"I'll make it up to you, I promise."

"I know," she said.

And then she kissed him.


	2. Chapter One: Harry & James

_Harry obviously hadn't expected Ginny to launch herself at him because he stiffened for a moment before tangling his hands in her hair and returning the kiss. It was the overwhelming sense of relief, and the beginnings of happiness that propelled her forward. Things were going better than she had hoped on first arrival until a chill breeze swept through the room at the opening of the door. Recalled to her surroundings and feeling suddenly sheepish for forgetting that they were still in the Ministry, Ginny turned to apologize for her intrusion. Instead of finding herself facing Kingsley Shacklebolt and Bredan Tougas, however, she was standing in the middle of a shadowy courtyard. The sun hadn't properly risen yet; it had gilt the tops of the tall cedars that formed the inner border of the high-walls. _

_It wasn't the golden light that had caught her attention, but rather what was happening outside the courtyard in the street. At first it looked like a demonstration of Fred and George's Wizard Whiz-Bangs, but Ginny quickly realized she was mistaken. The twins might put a foot across the line every now and then, but even they weren't brazen enough to demonstrate their wares in the middle of a Muggle street in the early hours of a summer morning. Besides that, what she was seeing looked more like wand sparks than fireworks. A sick feeling swelled in the pit of her stomach, and wasn't lessened at all when someone grabbed her hand and yanked her behind one of the tall cedars. _

_It was Harry. _

_The unexplained happenings in the street became nothing more than background noise. Ginny caressed Harry's face, trying to convince herself that he was really standing before her. She hugged him tightly as if she hadn't seen him in several years, pulling away only when the shrill and petrified cry of a baby cut through the other noise of the courtyard._

_Turning round, Ginny saw a spell fly so close to her son's head that it rippled his hair making him cry again. He was caught in the middle of a crowd of dueling witches and wizards and was in imminent danger of being hit with one of the many spells flying about. Gripping Harry's hand tightly, fearing that he would vanish if she didn't, Ginny ran out from behind the cedars, intent on getting to her son. She was trying to run as fast as she could, but it seemed as if she was moving at a snail's pace. Just as she cleared the last of the cedars there was a flash of blindingly bright light, and a cry of pain from behind her. She was dragged to the ground as Harry fell . . . _

Ginny had to blink several times before the red haze disappeared and she realized that what she was staring up at wasn't blood, but the ruby red light of early dawn. It likewise took her several seconds to realize that the petrified cry was just an echo from her dream, and not James's cries carrying from the next room.

The dream had been so vivid that Ginny forgot she was alone and turned over to snuggle closer to Harry. Her forgetfulness was short lived as with the force of ten speeding Bludgers it all came back to her: Harry was gone, missing, had been for over a year. He'd gone to work one morning and hadn't come home. No one, including anyone at the Ministry, had yet found any trace of him, alive or . . . not.

Rolling onto her stomach, Ginny buried her face n Harry's pillow and breathed deeply, as though trying to detect the trace of a scent that had disappeared months before. The pillow was cold and smelled only of washing powder. She instead curled her arm around the pillow and stared at the ring on the fourth finger of her left hand, planning to do so until sleep cast a spell over her and made the painful hollow in her chest go away.

After several minutes in which her eyes seemed unwilling to close, Ginny finally gave up on the idea of more sleep. She slid into slippers and a dressing gown and quietly padded down the hall into the second bedroom to stare at her sleeping son. On mornings like this one, where she had been awoken so suddenly by a bad dream, it was reassuring to see James enjoying a safe and untroubled sleep in his crib. Other times, she felt like she had done in the Ministry the day she'd first told Harry she was pregnant: awestruck at the very idea of bringing a new life into the world, and she could watch James for hours, marveling at the tiniest thing he did. This latter was an ever present feeling, stronger at some times than at others, and it was with her as she leant on the crib rail, but she had come here for a very different – yet equally common - reason. She had come to try and assuage some of the ache she was feeling over Harry's disappearance. It was a strategy that almost worked because James looked very much like his father.

Ginny reached down and brushed a strand of black hair off his forehead, watching him closely. James shifted in his sleep and his hand closed over his blanket, but he didn't wake, his round, bright green eyes remained hidden for the moment. The shape of his eyes was one thing James hadn't inherited from his Harry. When he smiled, too, there was something about the shape of his face that reminded Ginny of Fred and George. Missing, also, was Harry's most distinguishing mark: the scar shaped like a bolt of lightening. Apart from the scar though, the other differences were so minor that only someone who had spent hours staring at James would likely notice. She suspected Harry would have been one of those people, but as he had disappeared before James was born, she didn't know for sure.

During their many visits to the healer, Ginny and Harry had never found out if they were having a girl or a boy. She was sure from early on that it was a boy; Harry thought the opposite. They had had many playful arguments about it, usually while lying in bed, and more often than not while Harry was resting his head on her stomach listening to the baby move around. He'd fallen asleep like that more than once and she hadn't had the heart to wake him.

Having never agreed on whether they were having a boy or girl, they hadn't got so far as choosing a name, but Ginny was sure Harry would approve of her decision: James Sirius Potter. She had briefly considered naming James after Harry, but it seemed to her to indicate a certain finality about his situation that she was not ready to accept. For a while Ginny had toyed with the idea of naming him after someone in her own family, but as there were already a million Weasleys, and as James took after the Potters so strongly, it seemed the natural choice.

A sharp knock on the door saved Ginny from drowning in painful memories. She smoothed James's fringe back, planted a kiss on his forehead and then left the room, adjusting her dressing gown and impatiently wiping a tear from her eye. She needed to pull herself together!

"Mum? You're early!" Feeling jolted Ginny looked down at her wrist, worried that she had lost track of time, but found only that she hadn't put her watch on yet.

"I thought you might like the extra hand on your first day back to work." Molly paused in the act of pulling off her cloak to stare at Ginny piercingly. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing's wrong," Ginny replied, inclining her head towards James's room on the pretext of listening to see if he was awake so she could avoid looking at her mother. "How's dad?"

"Much the same as he was when you left last night, I daresay." She finished hanging up her cloak and fixed Ginny with a shrewd look. Before she could say anything more, though, James cried. Glad of the temporary reprieve, Ginny hurried to him.

James was standing up in the crib, holding onto the rail to steady himself. When he spotted Ginny he held out his arms to be picked up, promptly losing his balance and falling on his bottom. Not at all deterred, he immediately pulled himself up again. Watching him, she didn't turn around when her mother came in.

"He'll be climbing out sooner than you think."

"Don't remind me!"

James had been pulling himself up for a few weeks now. Every time she blinked it seemed like he was doing something new. It was hard enough to deal with how quickly he was growing when she was there to see it, but Ginny didn't know how she would handle missing things now she was going back to work. She worried that the next time she looked up he'd be off to Hogwarts. This latter was a thought that caused her a great pang both for herself, and for Harry who was missing everything.

Wrapped up in her thoughts, and the tasks of getting James ready for the day, Ginny didn't realize her mother had left the room until the enticing smell of eggs and bacon floated on the air to her. She paused in the act of pulling a green jumper over James's head (one of her mother's making) to sniff before she picked him up and headed to the kitchen.

Molly was just setting down the last of the plates with they came into the kitchen. She had turned on the wireless as well and Ginny was just able to make out the music of the early report on the WWN news over James's delighted squeal at seeing his grandmother.

"You didn't have to do this, mum," Ginny said, relinquishing James to her. "I would have –"

"Its no trouble." Molly was smiling as widely at James and pulling funny faces as she bounced him on her hip. This made him laugh loudly, a contagious sound that had Ginny and her mother laughing as well. After a minute, Molly placed James in his high chair, produced a bowl of pureed carrots and started feeding him, ignoring Ginny's protests. "You don't bring him round nearly enough."

"What are you talking about?" Ginny asked, laughing again. "You just saw him last night, and we're over at least twice a week. And you're going to see him nearly every day for the next six to eight months."

"Bill and Fleur were over more frequently with the twins," Molly said in a reprimanding voice. Then taking Ginny by the shoulders and forcing her into a chair, she added, "Eat up, before it gets cold."

Smiling, and feeling better than she had done all morning, Ginny dug into her breakfast. She watched her son while trying to listen to the wireless, currently midway through a report.

" . . . _A record crowd turned out to hear Mr. Fohn speech, in which he expounded on his belief that Minister for Magic Kingsley Shacklebolt has anti-pureblood leanings. The Minister, says Fohn, is quite as bad in his treatment of pure-bloods as You-Know-Who was with Muggle-borns_."

"How can he –" Ginny said angrily, but her mother made a shushing noise and she stopped talking.

"_Fohn also had strong words about what he claims is the Ministry's mishandling of the Bellatrix Lestrange case, citing several missteps by Auror task force, including repeating his own claim that an unnamed member of the task force let Lestrange escape last year_."

Ginny set down her fork. She didn't trust her churning stomach to hold anything else down. How could this man know about that? The newsreader, however, was now discussing Bellatrix Lestrange.

"_Listeners will recall that Bellatrix Lestrange was arrested nearly twenty years ago for her use of the Cruciatus Curse on Aurors Frank and Alice Longbottom. She served fourteen years of a life sentence in Azkaban before escaping, and has been wreaking havoc ever since, first as a follower of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, and then in her own right. The Ministry has alluded to her involvement in the deaths of multiple Muggle-borns over the last two years. That investigation is ongoing. _

"_Lestrange's last rumored whereabouts was France, a country notorious for their unwillingness to extradite magical felons. This stance has been particularly problematic, say Ministry insiders, because it has allowed her to remain free_. The Ministry of Magic maintains that the arrest and imprisonment of Bellatrix Lestrange remains their top priority, especially given her suspected involvement in Harry Potter's disappearance last year."

The feeling of being walloped by multiple Bludgers returned at once and though Ginny worked hard to retain her composure, her breath caught. She tried to cover it up as a hiccough to avoid awkward conversations, but it didn't work.

"This is what's wrong, is it?" Molly asked, waving her wand and shutting off the wireless. She sounded both sympathetic and slightly exasperated. "Harry again?"

"It's nothing," Ginny said, breathing deeply and looking at James rather than at her mother. He had paused with his hand in the bowl of carrots and he had smudges of orange all over his face.

"It's a good thing that you're going back to work today, Ginny. It will get you out among people again, and perhaps then you will stop with this unhealthy obsession –"

"I'm not obsessed!" Ginny said angrily, her voice rising.

"Oh really?" Molly grabbed Ginny's left hand and held it up so that her ring was at eye level. Ginny snatched snatched her hand back. "And remind me again why you decided to stay in this flat when you were told it would be safer for you to move?"

"How many times do I have to explain this?" Ginny felt exasperated herself now. "If Lestrange –"

"She has nothing to do with the real reason you stayed though, does she?"

Ginny had been ready to refute what her mother said, but there was too much truth in the words for her to do anything but close her mouth. It was sentimentality rather than logic that kept Ginny in this flat. She and Harry had barely been living here for two months when he went missing. They had left his last flat because neither of them could stand to stay there after what had happened with Dudley Dursley. Then they spent six weeks at the Burrow before finding and moving in here, the first few weeks of which had been extremely uncomfortable because of their own uncertainty about how to move on after what happened, and also because some of her family – Percy prominent among them – were less than pleased at the idea of her pregnancy.

The very first night in their new flat, after the rest of her family had gone home, Harry asked Ginny to marry him, and she said yes. Perhaps it was this happy start that quickly made the flat feel as much like home to Ginny as the Burrow, and more so than his other flat had ever done. And as they settled into their routine, going off to work everyday and then coming home to quiet evenings in, it seemed like whatever problems they'd had in the past would stay in the past.

Then there was the night that Harry didn't come home.

The entire task force had seemed at a loss for what to do. They were even less certain in those first few days about who was involved in Harry's disappearance than they were at present. The first thing they suggested was for GInny to leave, to stay at the Burrow or some other safe house. They felt that if Lestrange was not involved in Harry's disappearance the flat would be the first place she would come, even if only to use Ginny as bait. When she flat out refused to leave, Kingsley tried patiently to explain that the last thing Harry would want was for her to be in harm's way, most especially because she was pregnant. Owing to the fact that she was six months along at the time, and admittedly under a great deal of stress, she flew completely off the handle and made a lot of insinuations about who was really to blame for Harry's disappearance.

Ginny didn't leave in the end, having convinced the Aurors that if they were so sure Lestrange would show up, it would be the perfect opportunity to spring a trap. They hadn't liked the idea at all, but set up protective spells to alert them if any unauthorized witch or wizard came anywhere in the vicinity of the building. As an added measure, Kingsley absolutely insisted on stationing Bredan Tougas there. Neither Ginny nor Tougas were at all happy, especially as it came so soon after she had made all those accusations about Tougas's responsibility for Harry's disappearance.

When anyone gave her a hard time about not making the smart decision and leaving the flat, Ginny said she wasn't going to let Lestrange dictate how she lived her life. This was true, but it was only part of the reason she hadn't wanted to leave, the other part was much closer to what her mother had just said. In the first few weeks that Harry was gone she held onto the irrational hope that staying would be a sort of beacon, guiding him home. As the weeks stretched into months, though, that hope diminished, and was replaced by an equally strong desire to hold onto the happy memories she and Harry had shared. The easiest way to do that was to stay, she reasoned.

Ginny didn't regret her decision, but there were times, like this morning, when the cost felt very high. The entire flat was haunted by those immutable recollections that sometimes filled her with the same hollow empty feeling she'd woken up with, and at other times allowed her to think that Harry would show up at any second. In this latter case even a knock on the door had her jumping up and racing to answer it, only to be disappointed.

Because she had been thinking of it, Ginny didn't realize that the knocking wasn't coming from inside her own head.

"Are you going to answer that, or should I?" Molly asked.

"It's OK."

Jumping to her feet, Ginny hurried to answer the door. She tried to remind herself that in all likelihood it wasn't Harry, but that didn't stop a hopeful bubble from swelling in her chest, a bubble that burst when the new visitor turned out to be Tougas.

"Oh," she said, disappointment rapidly filling the hollow in her chest. "Hi."

"You were expecting someone else?" Tougas asked gruffly. He didn't wait for an invitation to come in, nor did he spare her so much as a glance. Instead he strode purposefully into the flat and looked around, as though expecting to see something different than he had on every morning previous.

"I hid the Death Eater in the closet this morning, in case you're wondering," Ginny said irritably, but for all the notice Tougas took she might as well not have said anything. He poked his head into every room before appearing satisfied that nothing had changed.

"Is something wrong?" Molly asked, coming out of the kitchen with James. She looked nervously from Ginny to Tougas.

"No, mum, he does this every morning," Ginny replied, as James held out his arms for Tougas to take him. "It's a right pain in the a-"

"Ginevra!" Molly reprimanded, handing James over. He let out a shrill laugh that would surely carry to the flat below.

"You won't have to worry about them much longer," Tougas said. When both Molly and Ginny looked at him questioningly he imitated Ginny's automatic glance downward. "They're moving out. I saw them hauling boxes this morning."

"You're serious?" Ginny asked, feeling her morning brightening slightly.

The fact that her downstairs neighbours would be moving out was something she could contemplate quite cheerfully. They were a crotchety old couple who complained constantly. Ginny and Harry had managed to get on their bad side early on simply because they weren't married. They had been treated to a very long and loud discourse on the falling morals of young people. The speech got longer after Harry disappeared. They went on so long one day about how he must have just walked out, that Ginny actually had her wand in hand. The only thing that saved them from a couple of Bat Bogey Hexes was Ron and Hermione frog marching her away.

"When are they going? Did they say? Do they need any help packing?"

"I didn't talk to them," Tougas said, pausing in the act of raising James high in the air. "I just saw the boxes. I'd wager it would be soon, though."

"This is great!" Ginny smiled widely, tweaking James's nose. Things were definitely looking up, something she wouldn't have thought possible even ten minutes earlier.

"Bredan, would you be a dear and take James into the living room while I help Ginny get ready for work?" Molly asked, a strange look on her face that dimmed Ginny's brightening mood. Tougas raised an enquiring eyebrow, for which Ginny could only shrug. She followed her mother into her own bedroom, knowing that she wasn't going to like whatever it was her mother had up her sleeve.

"What?" she asked, the minute Molly had closed the door.

"I just thought you might like an extra hand," her mother said unconvincingly, as she headed over to the closet and started running her hand along the hangers.

"I've been dressing myself since I was four, mum. What d'you really want?"

"He comes over every morning?" Molly asked, pulling out a revoltingly pink blouse Ginny forgot she had.

"Yes," she said suspiciously, grimacing at the blouse. "Why?"

"I thought Kingsley said they couldn't keep anyone here anymore." Molly put the blouse back and pulled out another, a blue one.

"He did." Ginny snatched the blouse back and hung it up. She blocked her mother from the closet in an effort to speed up the conversation. "What's your point?"

But she thought she knew it already.

"Well . . . Doesn't it seem curious to you that he's not supposed to be here, but he still comes by every morning?"

"Yeah, only because he feels responsible for what happened to Harry," Ginny said, feeling her temper rising again. "He was the one who let Lestrange escape, remember."

"Hmmm . . . I suppose," Molly said, though she didn't sound persuaded at all. "But that doesn't mean that there isn't more to it, Ginny. Look how good he is with James. You can't tell me that's all –"

"Stop, mum," Ginny said, holding up her hand. "I know where you're going with this, and I'll tell you now that Tougas and I are only friends. Barely that, even. He's interested in someone else, and I . . . "

"You are living with ghosts and treating them like they're the real thing," Molly replied, halfway between exasperation and pity.

"Yes, thank you. Can you please go check on James?" Ginny felt irrationally angry at her mother. She knew part of her anger was because she knew it to be true. Hadn't she just thought the same thing?

With one last concerned look, her mother did as Ginny asked. As she closed the door behind her Ginny sank down onto the bed, feeling as though she'd already been through a week's worth of Quidditch practices.


	3. Chapter Two: The Devil's Snare

It was James's delighted peal of laughter that broke through Ginny's sad remembrances this time, and made her think again about how much she was going to miss him. She was thinking dismally about how it would feel to miss so many of his crucial developments as she stood up to get ready, glancing over at the time as she did so.

"Damn," she said, hurriedly yanking clothes out of the closet. She only had ten minutes to get to work. Jordana hated it when any of the players were late and it didn't seem wise to test her patience on the first day back.

"Cutting it really fine, Weasley," Tougas said irritably when Ginny raced into the room a few minutes later, trying to pull on one of her boots. .

"I know, I know," she replied impatiently as she caught James up in her arms again and hugged him tightly. Now it had come to it, she didn't want to leave him. She had a bad feeling about it.

"We'll be fine," Molly said, correctly interpreting Ginny's hesitation.

"Yeah." With the utmost reluctance, Ginny gave James over to her mother again, and then she ruffled his hair. Despite the annoyingly indulgent smile on her mother's face, Ginny started to say something about when James should go down for a nap, but she had barely started when Tougas pushed past her.

"We'll be fine, Ginny," Molly said again. "I have done this a few times, remember."

"But I haven't, and . . ." Ginny fell silent, unable to translate into words exactly how she was feeling.

Whatever her worries were for the safety of her flat, Ginny was running very late now and she couldn't dawdle anymore, so she ruffled James's hair one more time, thanked her mother again for watching him, and hurried after a very grouchy looking Tougas, who was holding the door open. She grabbed the small handbag containing her Quidditch things (she really had to thank Hermione again for showing her that Undetectable Extension Charm) before following him into the hall.

"You act like I have unlimited time to stand around and wait for you," he said, leading the way down the first flight of stairs.

"And you act as if I beg you to come over every morning," Ginny responded promptly, pulling her arm into her jacket and zipping it up. She thought she saw Tougas's jaw tighten, but they were turning the corner to head down the second set of stairs and were stopped short by the sight of several precariously balanced towers of boxes that were blocking the stairs.

"Bloody hell!" It was very like Mr. and Mrs. Cavil to block the stairs, not considering that anyone else might want to leave the building.

Tougas tried to negotiate a small path between the unsteady piles and sent both of them crashing to the ground, causing the others to cascade to the floor in a giant heap.

"What do you think you're doing?" cried Mrs. Cavil, hurrying out of the flat with her cane raised like a sword, and for a minute Ginny thought she was going to run Tougas through with it, but she satisfied herself with a contemptuous look.

"Good morning, Mrs, Cavil," Ginny said, wading through the mess of boxes. The elderly woman's frown increased when she laid eyes on Ginny. She opened her mouth, surely to utter some new insult, but Ginny stopped her. "So sorry about the mess, but we're in a hurry. I have to get to work, you see." And she was out the door before anything else could be said.

The chilly December air blew around them as they exited the building, whipping Ginny's hair and making the tall cedars sway. She looked up at them, feeling a swelling in the pit of her stomach that she didn't understand for a moment, before she remembered her dream from that morning. That recollection made her turn her head to the right, as though she expected to see Harry hiding behind the nearest cedar.

"Come on," Tougas said impatiently, grabbing her arm to prevent her stopping. Ginny reacted immediately, snatching her arm back and drawing her wand.

"Don't grab me," she said forcefully, her heart rate increasing as she took several steps backward not taking her eyes off Tougas. His expression slid from impatience to angry confusion and then to understanding. It was this last that Ginny liked least. She hated the fact that so many people knew about what had happened with Harry's foul cousin, and she didn't need any of the consoling words she could see Tougas struggling to utter.

"You startled me," she said, striding past him before he could say anything.

They didn't talk much as they headed out of the courtyard and walked down the street to an alley just beyond the borders of the enchantments the Aurors had set up the previous year. As they passed through the last, Ginny looked back as though she could see the border. She was starting to feel jittery again.

"You're sure the protections are still working?" she asked.

"They were checked this morning, like always. That is why I come, you know," Tougas said. He stopped walking when they were out of sight of the buildings across the street. "It's not because I fancy you, I promise."

"You heard that?" she asked, feeling her face heat up despite the cold air swirling around them. Her mother was responsible for putting that smug smile on his face; Ginny felt like turning back and cursing her for it. Instead she said, "Then you should have heard what I said to her. I know all about you and Briony. And in case you've forgotten, I also fancy someone else." She held up her left hand.

Tougas looked quickly at the ring and then away, his jaw clench like it had done on the stairs, and she wondered for a second if he was going to say something, but he didn't.

"Let's go." His arm jerked like he was going to grab hers again, but seemed to think better of it, and Disapparated. Ginny quickly followed, hoping Tougas saw fit to return to the Ministry directly rather than accompany her to the stadium.

Ever since the unfortunate incident in which Bellatrix Lestrange and Lucius Malfoy had stormed the pitch and abducted Colin Creevey, security had been tightened, meaning no one could Apparate directly inside, but rather to a spot several hundred yards away. Ginny landed precisely and paused to get her bearings.

Now fifteen minutes late, Ginny knew that Jordana was going to do her nut, so she didn't stop too long. The dark green stadium loomed larger than she remembered, the gold edges glittering in the sun; the clouds that had hung over her flat in London hadn't travelled this far yet. She was watching the clouds as she neared the door and was brought to another stop by several flashes of bright light. She raised her hand to shield her eyes and heard several gasps from the crowd surrounding her. They seemed to have sprung from nowhere and were closing in.

"Clear off you lot. Now."

Tougas had appeared out of nowhere, startling everyone, including Ginny. She didn't even protest when he grabbed her arm for the second time and pulled her through the crowd of people, keeping his wand raised. The crowd parted easily, most keeping their eyes fixed nervously on his wand. One man, however, was holding a camera like the one so often used by Daily Prophet reporters. He was a powerfully built man with neatly trimmed brown hair and a long scar down his left cheek. He smirked as they passed and was still doing so when Ginny glanced back before entering the building. She felt a shiver run down her spine.

"D'you know who that man is?" Ginny asked, searching her brain because she suddenly felt as though she'd seen him somewhere before.

"Reporter from the looks of it," Tougas said with the merest half-glance. He pulled open the door and marched inside.

"Funny that he hasn't taken a single picture since we arrived though, isn't it?" This curious behaviour coupled with the fact that she knew all of the photographers from the Prophet caused the hairs on her arms to stand on edge. But then it occurred to her that there might be a less sinister reason he wasn't behaving like a real photographer: he might be a fan posing as a Prophet employee to try and get in. It wouldn't be the first time someone had tried that ruse.

"Thanks," Ginny said when they had reached the safety, though hardly less hectic inside of the stadium. People were running to and fro and there was a nervous energy in the air, the sort that usually preceded a match.

"I got a message to meet Rossi here," Tougas said, sounding angry again. "Apparently he foresaw you losing your head."

Ginny snatched her arm away furiously, and started to reach for her wand, any number of curses occurring to her. He was only spared by someone running past, carrying dozens of small scrolls under each arm.

"You'd better go find out what Rossi wants then and get on with your busy day," Ginny said contemptuously as they reached the changing rooms at last. She didn't wait for him to reply, instead she pushed the door open, and hurried in, already starting to issue an apology for her lateness.

Even before turning the corner she could tell something was wrong. The changing room was generally filled with sounds of laughter or, on game days, nervous excitement with everyone talking over each other. She could still hear them talking but the voices were hushed, like they were standing next to someone's sickbed. Feeling her heart rate increase again, Ginny hurried round the corner, pulling out her wand as she did so.

Five members of the team were standing in a semi-circle, their backs to her. They were all looking at something that Ginny couldn't see. Fearing the worst she lengthened her stride and within a few short seconds was able to see what had so thoroughly captured their attention.

One of the seven lockers the players used to store their equipment was hanging open, and snake-like tendrils of some sort of plant were spilling out, dripping a substance that looked like blood onto the floor. Something was sitting in the centre and seemed to be the source of all the blood, but Ginny couldn't see it properly. She moved forward several inches to get a better view and her breath caught, alerting the others to her presence.

"Is that . . . " she asked, turning away from the severed head of the Harpies Seeker.

"No, it's not," Gwenog Jones replied. "Keddle's fine. Pretty shaken up though. She's in the office with Jordana, talking to that Auror, Rossi I think his name was."

The other four team members nodded mutely.

"What is all this?" Ginny asked, unsure whether she wanted to move closer to examine the macabre display, or turn around and vomit.

"Some nutter's taken a fancy to her, and thinks this is amusing, that's what," said Ginny's fellow Chaser Alannah King viciously.

"What?"

"It's true," Gwenog said in a sad voice, glancing at the display with a loathsome look on her face. "She'd been going on about it for months, how she thought that someone was following her, and just as we were entering finals last year she was convinced that someone had been in her flat."

"We thought it was just the pressure of the finals, after how hard we worked, you know," said Sandy Dylan, their Keeper.

The team had made it to the semi-finals for the second year in a row, but it had been a hard won battle, with several more losses than they'd had in previous years. Gwenog and King were superb Chasers, but they hadn't been able to compensate for the ineptitudes of Rhea Jordan, Ginny's replacement. Watching or hearing about their abysmal performances had always made Ginny squirm with guilt, wondering if they would have lost so bad had she been playing. She had attributed Keddle's frustration to their poor performance, but now she knew better.

Ginny joined the other members of the team in silent contemplation of the crime scene. She hadn't been around Keddle or the rest of the team for the better part of a year, but suddenly she remembered a significant flower delivery that Keddle received. It had been during the time she was still with the team, and the arrangement had been large, cumbersome and rather annoyed Jordanda. Had that been the start of it all? Straining her memory, Ginny was frustrated to find that she couldn't recall a lot of the specifics, but as she tried the face of the scarred man swam in front of her.

Thinking that he might still be outside the stadium, and that he was definitely worth investigation, Ginny broke ranks and headed for Jordana's office door just as it opened. Tougas and Rossi exited first, followed by an obviously shaken Keddle who was supported by Adrasteia Gerard - the healer Ginny had seen when she was pregnant with James and since befriended. Jordana was the last to exit, looking a little shaken herself.

"That man outside with the scar on his face," Ginny said, addressing Tougas without giving him the chance to leave. "He did seem overly pleased. D'you think -"

"Who was this?" Rossi asked sharply, looking from Ginny to Tougas.

"Some reporter," Tougas replied, waving his hand dismissively.

"So _you_ think," Ginny said, angrily, her own eyes traveling back to Keddle, who had visibly paled when she caught sight of the locker. She was now trying to stop her bottom lip trembling.

Tougas shrugged and headed for the locker.

"We'll look into it. Don't worry about him," Rossi said quietly. It looked like he winked at her before he walked away, but Ginny couldn't be sure because Keddle let go of Adrasteia and gave her a hug.

"It's good to see you again, Ginny," she said

"Thanks. How are you, Eva?"

"I've had better days, but I'm just glad that they're _finally_ going to do something."

"Finally? They weren't doing anything before?" Ginny asked, looking back at Tougas and Rossi who were closely examining the tendrils of the plant, careful not to touch it with anything but their wands because it was doing its best to latch onto them. She was less surprised than she sounded, given her own experience of their track record.

"They couldn't." Keddle sounded bitter. This, too, was a feeling they had in common. "There wasn't any evidence, you know."

"Yeah, Gwenog and the others were telling me."

"They should be glad it wasn't really my head in there," Keddle replied, speaking loud enough for the others to hear. "Them, with their advice on relaxing for the finals."

"You have no idea how sorry we are for that." King said, placing a hand on Keddle's arm. The others nodded or muttered their agreement, all mimicking King and giving Keddle's arm a squeeze, or else hugging her. "We won't question you anymore, promise."

"And you can count on our support from now on," Jordana said, her tone more gentle than Ginny could ever remember it, even after Ikey, the team mediwitch and Jordana's wife, was found murdered by Bellatrix Lestrange.

"Thanks, guys." Keddle was a little teary eyed again as she hugged each person in turn.

"Let's let the Aurors get on with their work and we'll get on with ours. Get your bags, we'll use the other changing rooms until they're done," Jordana said.

Ginny grabbed her own bag and got Rossi to hand her Keddle's, where it had been dropped a few feet from the locker. For the second time she thought she saw him wink at her, but he looked away quickly, and she didn't have a chance to pursue it in the chaos of leaving. As she walked with Keddle to the room usually used by the opposing team, though, she wondered if this was just a new manifestation of the jumpiness she'd felt around strange men ever since that horrible incident with Dudley.

"You might not need it, but all the same I'd feel better if you kept it with you," Adrasteia explained to Keddle, pressing a small phial into her hand. It contained a clear potion. "Ask Ginny. I told her the same thing and she's found it useful on more than one occasion."

"Dittany?" Ginny asked, taking the phial and examining it. "Yes, I have. Between my brothers and the fact that James inherited Harry's knack for injury . . . " She fell quiet because everyone was watching her now, probably drawn in by her mention of Harry. Handing Keddle the phial she said, "Well, it's always a good idea to have some with you, whatever your reason. Come on, let's get to work."

Twenty minutes later the entire team was standing on the pitch waiting for Jordana and Gwenog to decide on how they wanted to start this practice. Ginny looked up at the clear sky and felt a sudden urge to be flying again. Yes, she had played some Quidditch at the Burrow during her time off, but there was nothing like playing for the Harpies. Her teammates were top notch.

"Right you lot," Gwenog called after another five minutes. "Since we haven't all been together for an entire season we're going to have a lot to do. Weasley is especially out of practice, so let's start with drills. Up in the air, let's go."

When she was finally able to kick off the ground Ginny had to exercise a great deal of restraint not to go flying off for a couple of laps. The wind was cool, fresh and felt great on her face. It was like she was finally able to breathe after being cooped up for a long time. The freedom didn't last too long though, because within seconds of kicking off Gwenog tossed the Quaffle to her. Ginny caught it easily and sped off towards the goal hoops on the opposite end of the pitch, deftly avoiding the strategically positioned players. As she was nearing the goal, however, Howard aimed a Bludger at her. She swerved too late to avoid it, feeling the heavy ball grace her arm and she dropped the Quaffle.

"See, out of practice. That was an easy one," Gwenog said after blowing her whistle. "We'll try that again. I expect a goal this time, Weasley."

"Of course," Ginny said, massaging her elbow. She got in position again and caught the Quaffle when it was thrown to her by Gwenog. She heard Howard's bat connect with Bludger and successfully avoided this time, streaking up the pitch toward the opposite goal, but just as she was getting ready to throw, a whistle sounded for the second time. Feeling slightly annoyed at the interruption, she looked back to her captain to demand what the interruption was for this time. Gwenog was leading the rest of the team toward the ground where Rossi and Tougas were standing with Jordana. Ginny followed last, dropping the Quaffle again as she raced after the others. For Keddle's sake she hoped that they had good news.

Ginny landed in time to hear Rossi apologize to Jordana for the interruption.

"Not at all," she replied.

Ginny was again surprised by such a reaction. It wasn't that Jordana didn't care about the players and their well-being, but never before would Ginny have expected such a sedate reaction from her manager, especially on the first day of training for the season. Perhaps some of it could be explained by Jordana's lingering guilt over Ikey's kidnap. It had happened just outside of the stadium, after all, well within an area that was within the protective enchantments.

Gwenog was the first to be led away. One player down, and missing their captain, the others didn't continue practice. Instead they milled about the pitch, uncertain of what they should be doing, and uncomfortable because of the circumstance that led to their idleness. King, Dylan, Abdullah and Howard drifted off on their own and several minutes later came together again halfway across the pitch and started talking. Ginny didn't know if they did this by design, or if it just worked out that way, but it was clear that they were keen to give both her and Keddle a wide berth lest they get involved in awkward conversations. She didn't much care about how they reacted to her, for she definitely didn't want to discuss her own situation, but Ginny did feel rather bad for Keddle who was still pale and looked close to tears.

"They're bound to find the nutter who's doing this," she told Keddle, trying to inject more certainty into her statement than she actually felt.

"You really think so?" Keddle asked. She fixed Ginny with a skeptical stare, her eyes resting for a moment on the ring Ginny was wearing. "You, of all people?"

"Why shouldn't I think so?" Ginny asked, hearing the defensiveness in her own voice as she quickly hid her hand in the pocket of her robes.

"I just thought that after what happened with Harry you'd be a little more . . . iIdunno, cynical, " Keddle finished, looking more miserable than she had before.

"Yeah, well . . . The two situations aren't exactly the same, are they?"

"How d'you mean?"

"Well," Ginny started. She was determined to steer the conversation away from Harry and hopefully try to cheer Keddle up in the same go. "Just look at the changing room. It's full of clues that they can use to find this guy. The same can't be said about Harry's disappearance. Believe me, I looked."

"I hope you're right," Keddle said, looking slightly mollified. She stared in the direction that Gwenog had gone. "And I hope they work fast. I don't think I can take much more of this."

It seemed impossible to Ginny that Keddle could have dealt with this on her own for so long. She wasn't sure how she would have held up in the same situation, or if people had refused to believe that Harry was missing. Hoping that she wasn't misguided in thinking that the Aurors would actually solve this case, Ginny placed a consolatory arm around Keddle's shoulders, receiving an appreciative smile.

"You said 'looked," Keddle said after a few minutes of silence. Ginny withdrew her arm, but this didn't stop Keddle from pressing on. "Just a moment ago when you were talking about the two investigations, you said you 'looked' for evidence. Why did you stop?"

Turning her back on Keddle, Ginny walked away, cursing herself for bringing up the topic. Her own failed investigation had come about slowly. She might not have got as involved as she had done if, on her first day back to work nearly a year earlier, Jordana hadn't told her to go home, that they wanted her to focus on the baby and finding Harry. She was deaf to Ginny's statement that she needed something to take her mind off what was happening.

Finding herself with so much free time, Ginny became nearly obsessed with what the Aurors were doing to find Harry. She began to think, a belief she still held to this day, that they were not doing everything they could. This prompted her to start her own sort of investigation, following up on the many reported sightings that were flooding the WWN at the time. Most of them turned out to be bunk, and only succeeded in making the Aurors angrier at Ginny than they already were for her decision to stay in the flat. Tougas in particular, who was practically living at her flat at the time, was furious. Ginny hadn't paid any attention to their complaints until Kingsley told her that if she kept interfering in the investigation they would have to arrest her.

She had been suspicious of their claims that they were just trying to keep her out of Lestrange's clutches. For one thing, they didn't have any evidence she was in danger at all. Ginny couldn't explain it, but she was certain that Lestrange wouldn't try to use some complicated round about way to get to Harry like she had done before. For another, as the hours stretched into days and weeks, she couldn't help but remember Harry's explanation for his abrupt departure the day she'd come to tell him she was pregnant.

Harry had been very reluctant to say anything at first, but eventually confessed that they had been discussing a new strategy for finally capturing Lestrange. Guessing that she would be even more desperate to carry out her ridiculous attempts to resurrect Voldemort, for which she was sure she needed Harry, they planned to lay a trap. They would offer her exactly who she wanted, while in effect they were laying a trap. If everything went according to plan, Harry had explained, they would have Lestrange back in custody soon and then he wouldn't have to worry about Ginny's safety anymore and everything could go back to normal. The plan had been Harry's idea, and in darker times Ginny had wondered if he'd decided to go ahead with it, but he'd also admitted that he'd decided to cancel it in the first place because he didn't want to leave her alone with the baby. His behaviour in the months before his disappearance had left her in no doubt that he was telling the truth. He would never have willingly left.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to bring it up," Keddle said, now more than several dozen feet away. She sounded sincerely apologetic.

"It's fine," Ginny said, trying to muster as much sincerity as she could, but she wasn't quite as successful as Keddle had been. She was glad that Gwenog reappeared a minute later, looking furious that they hadn't continued practicing.

After sending King to talk with Rossi and Tougas, Gwenog ordered everyone to get back to work. Within minutes they were all in the air, continuing as best they could with only two Chasers. Ginny was glad that they had something to do as she was able to force every other unpleasant thought from her mind and focus only on the Quaffle. She didn't seem to be alone in this either. Everyone seemed to put their all into practice, and things were going smoother than ever for a first session of the season.

They remained one player short for the entire day, as each person seemed to be gone for at least an hour. By the time it was Ginny's turn, it was getting dark and cold.

"Let's call it a day," Gwenog said, to general relief. "Once you're done with them you can go home, Weasley."

"Thanks Gwen."

Unsure what more she could tell the Aurors, Ginny headed back into the changing room where she could see the cutting of Devil's Snare packaged in a corner, ready for transport back to the Ministry, the accurate replica of Keddle's head was still in place and she had to avert her eyes as she walked past it to Jordana's office where Rossi and Tougas were stationed with Jordana.

"Did you see if that man was still out there?" she asked Tougas before the door was closed.

"He was gone," he replied simply, gesturing for her to take a seat.

"You should keep an eye out for him. He had a creepy look about him." she stated.

"We can't go arresting people because they have 'a creepy look'. We need a little thing called evidence," Tougas snapped. "You're just like Potter."

"I didn't say run out there and arrest him," Ginny replied just as snappily. "I just meant you should talk to him."

"We'll be talking to everyone within a mile of here," Rossi said, poising his quill on a sheaf of parchment already filled with notes. "Can you describe him for me."

Ignoring Tougas's scowl, Ginny tried to recall the man's face in as much detail as she could, knowing that this was the one thing she could do to help. She felt goosebumps as she remembered the sneering smile on his face. If she was right about him being Keddle's stalker, and her certainty was growing as time passed, she would gladly rip him limb from limb.

As Rossi was scribbling furiously, turning his parchment steadily blacker, Jordana excused herself to check on Keddle. Ginny expected to join her almost immediately. Other than her description of the possible perpetrator of these crimes, she didn't have much to offer, not having been around the stadium for a year. She was surprised therefore, that it was another half-hour filled with questions about what she might have observed prior to leaving.

The time she spent straining her memory for events probably long forgotten had tired her out more than an entire day's worth of training, and Ginny was anxious to leave. Sitting and answering questions gave her more time than she liked to think, and she began to miss James very much. She was anxious to get home and see him

"I think that's all we need for now," Rossi said, replacing the lid on his ink bottle.

"Great." Ginny jumped to her feet. "I'll let you know if I think of anything else."

"And I, of course, know where to find _you_ if _I_ have any other questions."

Ginny nodded and hurried to the door, intent on getting home to see James, but also anxious to be out of the presence of both Aurors. Rossi was well known for his harmless flirting, but she couldn't say she was all that impressed by it, especially given the current circumstances. When she heard he and Tougas leaving the office she ducked behind a set of lockers so as to avoid them. Tougas was speaking, and he sounded irritated again.

" . . . don't care what you do on your own cases, but I expect more professionalism if we're going to work together." Rossi said something that Ginny couldn't hear because he was walking away from where she was standing. Whatever he said, though, seemed to irritate Tougas further. "Maybe it's worked in the past, but I wouldn't do it with her. Can't you see how she's obviously still messed up about Potter?"

Ginny had heard enough. She rushed back to the mercifully empty changing room, retrieved her bag into which she stowed her robes and broomstick before leaving. It seemed like a fortnight had passed since she'd last seen James.

The distance from the stadium doors to the Apparition point seemed further in the dark than it had during the day and Ginny was strangely unsettled by it. She kept a firm grip on her wand as she walked, looking from side to side more often than was necessary. Feeling slightly silly for her nerves, Ginny let out a tiny laugh.

"What's so funny, ginger?"

Ginny spun on her heel, pulling her wand out of her pocket as she did so, but before she could raise it to full height it hit the man standing inches behind her, whose gravelly voice had cut through the silence.

"You! What do you want?"

It was the man with the scarred face, as she had feared from the minute he spoke. She tried to back away several steps, but the heel of her boot caught in a crack on the sidewalk and she fell backwards, dropping her wand, which rolled away into the darkness. She scrambled after it, kicking out and catching the man hard in the shin. He let out a cry that was halfway between pain and anger and she heard the crunch of snow as he started after her. Ginny just managed to close her fingers over her wand when she felt his hand close over her ankle.

"Let go," she cried, trying to kick out again, but his grip was too firm. "Impedimenta."

The spell hit its mark. He froze long enough for her to pull her ankle free and get to her feet. Her cry, however, had attracted the attention of a wizard who had just Apparated ten feet away.

"What's going on?" he asked, hurrying over and almost knocking Ginny over for a second time. "Is he bothering you, Miss - oh!" His eyes widened in shock and recognition when she shook her hair out of her face.

"Yes, yes, I'm fine," Ginny said impatiently, shaking off the hand he offered her. The last thing she wanted right now was some nonsense from a fan. "It's that idiot who -"

She stopped talking abruptly because the scarred man she had been pointing to had disappeared completely. She spun around in a circle to try and catch a glimpse of him, but he was gone and a quick scan of the ground didn't reveal any footprints.

"Are you hurt? Here, I'll help you back inside. You should get checked out," the new arrival said, putting a hand on her elbow as though to escort her back to the building.

"That's not necessary, thank you."

Pulling her arm free, Ginny jogged the last few feet to the spot where she could Disapparate. She was glad to get away from the fan so easily because she didn't much feel like a long discourse on the Harpies prospects for the Quidditch Cup. She was disconcerted, however, to see that he was still watching her as she twisted into darkness.


	4. Chapter 3: Wizards Against Nobility Deba

Adrenaline sustained Ginny all the way into her flat where she paused in the act of removing her coat to stare bemusedly at her stinging and bleeding hand. It took several seconds for her to realize that she must have scraped her palm when she braced her fall. She carelessly shoved her coat into the closet where it fell to the floor with a loud bang owing to the bag in her pocket containing her Quidditch things. The noise didn't go completely unnoticed. As she stood in the bathroom, rinsing her wound before applying Essence of Dittany Ron poked his head around the door frame, followed quickly by Hermione who was holding James, and then the blonde head of Ginny's upstairs neighbour, Hugh Scott.

It was this last that Ginny was most surprised and least pleased to see, not because his presence was that unusual or unpleasant. The problem was that Hugh was a Muggle, and would hardly fail to notice that a deep gash in her hand magically disappeared. She looked desperately at Hermione, who had already realized the dilemma.

"Next time maybe just call out, rather than setting off a bomb, OK,' she said before adjusting James on her hip and chivvying Ron and Hugh away.

"Thanks," Ginny said when the others were out of earshot.

'You're welcome. D'you need a hand?"

"I'm all right."

Hermione looked skeptical, but nodded and followed the others, allowing Ginny to close the door and quickly apply a drop of Dittany. Within a moment there wasn't the slightest mark on her hand but she still applied a plaster to avoid awkward questions.

Mere moments later, only after entering the sitting room and relieving Hermione of James, did Ginny notice that she'd walked into a room thick with an uncomfortable silence. Hugh looked the most uneasy, Ron a little angry. Hermione was most composed of the three, but even she sat a little more rigidly than she'd done before.

"Is something the matter?" Ginny asked, smiling as James grabbed hold of her hair.

"No," they all said in unison. Their tone was completely unconvincing, especially after Hugh looked at his watch and jumped up like he'd just remembered an extremely important date.

"I didn't realize it had got so late," he said, pausing in his exit to smile apologetically at Ginny and to ruffle James's hair. The usual playful light in his eyes was missing today. "Sorry, Jim, but I've got to get back to work." Ignoring Ginny's grimace - she hated it when he called James 'Jim' - he hurried to the door and disappeared beyond it.

"What was that about?" Ginny asked, watching the door until she heard Ron and Hermione shifting in their seats. The guilty expressions on their faces were unmistakable. "What did you two do?"

"Hey," Ron said angrily. "He starts nosing around in matters that don't concern him and you think we did something wrong?"

"You were a bit harsh," Hermione said, sounding just as angry. "He does have a right to ask questions, doesn't he?"

"No, he doesn't," Ron said fiercely, prompting Hermione to scowl at him.

"What are you two on about?" Ginny asked, sitting down beside Hermione, feeling uneasy. "What sort of questions is he asking?"

"He's been asking about Harry, Gin," Ron replied before Hermione could. "About 'what really happened.'"

"You make it sound like he's involved in some grand conspiracy," Hermione replied disdainfully. "I think that he was just curious, because of how it all happened."

"Enough," Ginny said, holding up her hand when Ron started to retort. "Can't you stop bickering for two seconds?"

She thought that Hermione was probably right. Hugh had moved into the building only a month after Ginny and Harry had, but she could only recall having seem him once before Harry disappeared. Tougas and Kingsley had questioned him while the were conducting their investigation, but they hadn't told him much due both to the Statute of Secrecy and their wish to not jeopardize their investigation. She'd long been expecting his questions, especially since he hadn't asked them when they'd struck up their friendship not too long after James was born.

"He was just curious. People are allowed to be curious," Hermione said after staring Ron down.

"You don't think it odd that he, a Muggle, seemed excessively interested in what happened?" Ron shot back.

"Stop looking for conspiracies where there aren't any!" Hermione stomped her foot in frustration.

"I'm not. I just think its really weird." Ron's ears were starting to turn red.

"He just wants to know as much as he can because . . . well . . ." Hermione fell silent and gave Ginny a significant look.

"Don't say it." Ginny suppressed a groan with a great deal of effort. SHe didn't want to be reminded of the sticky fact that Hugh obviously wanted more than just a friendly relationship, something she couldn't even consider.

If there was one good thing to be said though it was that it eased the tension between Ron and Hermione and they both laughed, their angry reactions fading, most especially when James imitated them and let out one of his contagious giggles. He seemed to have some magical ability to defuse any tense situation with his laugh.

"How was your practice?" Hermione asked after a few minutes. "Was it as draining as you thought it would be?"

"Not in the way you might think," Ginny replied. She explained what had happened, feeling an unpleasant shiver up her spine as she recalled the extraordinary replica of Keddle's head amidst the Devil's Snare, and the man with the scarred face that was almost certainly the one responsible for that chilling display. She hesitated in telling them about her run-in with said man because Hermione was already looking pale, and Ron had turned a delicate shade of green, and she didn't want them to look more dreadful than they already did. Her own desire to discuss her theory, won out in the end and she did confess.

"This isn't good." Ron was on his feet and pacing before Ginny had finished her story. "I mean - Let's just say you're right. If he is the one responsible, and he just disappeared like that . . . Who's to say he didn't follow you home."

She hadn't considered that, but the idea made Ginny's muscles tauten.

"Sounds to me like he was scared away," Hermione said. "OK, let's say you're right, Ron, he still shouldn't be able to come anywhere near here because of the protective enchantments."

"Maybe," Ginny said. The enchantments _were_ meant to keep out unwanted witches and wizards, but there were ways that they could be avoided. If he was able to vanish so quickly, it was entirely possible that the scarred man could get around these wards, too. Ron frowned but didn't say anything. Ginny was sure that he was thinking along the same line as she was, but she took his silence as a sign that he, too, was sick of the constant bickering.

"Maybe they'll be able to track him anyway," Hermione said, sounding as though she was trying to convince herself of this fact.

"Not if Tougas has anything to do with it. Did I tell you how he completely ignored - What?" Ginny stopped in the middle of her frustrated rant because Ron and Hermione were wearing identical smirks. "Mum told you her ridiculous theory that Tougas fancies me, didn't she?"

Their continued amusement was as good as a confession.

"She's mad! Everyone knows that he fancies Briony. As for me . . . I think he deserves a good crack over the head with a broomstick."

She hadn't meant it as a joke, Tougas really did frustrate her to the point of contemplating physical violence, but Ron and Hermione laughed nonetheless. James imitated them, and after a few seconds even Ginny was grinning. At least she was until Ron flicked his wand at the wireless and a jingle for Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Beans filled the sitting room.

"What?" he asked when Hermione shot him a scathing look. "I just want to hear what's going on with the Cannons."

"And you think you're going to hear that on this show?" Ginny asked disgustedly as she heard the opening notes of a popular talk show. She never listened to this programme if she could help it because the host existed only to sensationalize and create scandal where none existed.

"Welcome back," Gabriel Mercer said, more exuberant than any other time Ginny had listened to his programme. "We've been talking with Declan Fohn, founder of Wizards Against Nobility Debasement (W.A.N.D), a group advocating a return to pureblood supremacy- "

"Not supremacy, merely a celebration of our heritage," interjected a second voice that Ginny guessed was Fohn. He spoke smoothly but with a certainty that made her understand at once why he had been gaining popularity over the last year, although he was expounding complete rubbish.

"Excellent," said Gabriel, sounding amused. "What would your response be to those critics who say there isn't a difference and that you are trying to drum up support that waned after the death of You Know Who?"

"On the contrary, there is all the difference in the world. We do not believe, as did the Death Eaters, that Muggle-born witched and wizards are any less worthy of their magic. We only mean to celebrate _our_ history, and to enhance its value. As I'm sure you will agree, Gabriel, the Death Eaters and their ludicrous ideas rather debased the nobility of our ancestors."

"I don't know, Mr. Fohn," Gabriel said indulgently, still sounding amused rather than truly doubtful.

"An example, then?" Fohn asked over the rustling of paper.

"If you please."

"The Evening Prophet shall provide." They heard a muffled thump, as though Fohn pounded the table.

"What?" Gabriel asked before letting out an exclamation of understanding, and laughing. "For our listeners at home, Mr. Fohn is referring to the article in this evening's Prophet that talks about the return of one of our favorite Quidditch players, Ginny Weasley, and her tragic story."

"Tragic is exactly the word I was going to use," Fohn said. "A member of one of our most respected families, and as you say, an excellent Quidditch player, she didn't deserve the treatment she received from Harry Potter, 'our great hero.'"

She had been liking Fohn less and less the longer she listened, but the sarcastic tone of his voice as he uttered those last three words made Ginny's blood boil. She jumped to her feet, prepared to rush at the wireless and smash it into a thousand pieces, but was stopped because she was still holding James. He had nearly fallen asleep and gave a startled cry at the sudden movement. She contented herself instead with leaving the room.

Pacing James's room as she tried to get him back to sleep, Ginny had hoped she would be able to drown out the rest of that ridiculous programme, but she could still make out enough to get the gist. Fohn was now expounding upon the theory that Harry hadn't disappeared, but that he'd just become too overwhelmed with everything, and had decided to leave, using his connections in the Ministry to set up an elaborate scheme. Her pace quickened with each statement she heard, to the point where she was almost jogging. It was having the opposite effect on James than she wanted. Rather than getting more sleepy, he was as alert as when she'd first arrived home.

"Sorry, Jay," she said, slowing her pace and bouncing him lightly. "But that idiot in there is talking rubbish about your dad. I can't believe that Ron and Hermione are still listening to it."

"It's just Hermione now."

Ron was standing in the doorway, a dark expression on his face. Ginny stopped pacing, noticing almost at once that his ears were slightly redder than they'd been earlier. "You know how she is about these sorts of things."

"Know thy enemy," Ginny replied, nodding. "She might do better just to apply a few good hexes to him though."

The corners of Ron's mouth turned up in a credible imitation of a smile, but it didn't last more than a few seconds. He watched Ginny pace with James for a minute, before entering the room, taking James from her, and lifting him high into the air. James laughed, but with a little less energy than he would ordinarily have done.

"I might deserve to be hexed for admitting this," Ron said slowly, as though he was truly reluctant to say anything, "I've considered it, too . . . that he might have just scarpered and they haven't really found anything. It seems too neat, doesn't it?" He recoiled slightly from the glare that Ginny was shooting at him. "I just mean . . . He does have a history of leaving because he thinks that it would keep you safe, and if something with Lestrange . . . "

"He wouldn't have done," Ginny said furiously. "I don't understand how you, his best friend -"

"Relax, I don't really think that's what happened, OK. I just said I've considered it."

"Why'd you even bring it up then?"

James's eyes were drooping, so Ron placed him in the crib and tucked him in with an ease that would have been unheard of six months earlier. Both he and Hermione had improved in their child care skills as quickly as Ginny had, an unsurprising fact given that they had spent almost as much time with James as she had. In the beginning she thought it was merely because they were taking their role as godparents to the extreme, and that they would be around less as time went on. The opposite had happened though, and now she wondered if they were around as much as they were because they, like she, missed Harry.

"I guess I was just trying to find some sense in it. For it to happen when everything was going so well for you two. . . " Ron said, a slight crease between his brows. Ginny recognized that look. It had been an almost permanent fixture on Ron's face for at least a month after the hard to forget night when she'd told the rest of the family she was pregnant.

Amidst all the congratulations and celebration two of the family didn't seem at all happy. One of them was Percy, and his furious reaction was entirely predictable because he'd never been happy about Ginny's relationship with Harry. Ron had looked equally displeased, a surprise to all except Harry, and it wasn't until later that night when both men had disappeared that the truth came out. Ron had been questioning Harry's late night appearance at his and Hermone's house a few evenings earlier. He thought at first that it had something to do with the pregnancy, but Harry had confessed the truth about what happened with Dudley. Ginny and Hermione had exited the house seconds before Ron threw a well aimed punch.

It had taken a very long time for Ron's anger to dissipate, even after Ginny telling him that she didn't blame Harry for what happened. For a time, she and Hermione worried that Ron might not get over it at all. He eventually came around, though keeping a close eye on Harry for a month after he and Ginny had moved in together, finally back to normal again just around the time Harry disappeared.

"No," Ron said in a thoughtful voice, watching James sleeping. "No, I don't really think that he left on his own . . . I guess I might have believed it before you moved in here, but not after. He was looking forward to everything too much."

It was reassuring to hear someone else echo her own beliefs, but it always brought them back to the knotty problem of what had happened. If Harry hadn't left on his own, and if he would have done his best to return home if he'd been taken, then where was he? Why had there been no trace of him other than those ludicrous tabloid reports of sightings?

To try and keep her thoughts from straying down that dark path again, Ginny devoted her time to staring at her sleeping son, as though she hadn't already memorized everything about his face. She didn't look up when Ron put his arm around her shoulder and gently squeezed, though she patted his hand in thanks.

"I think that stupid programme is over now," he said after a few minutes. "Time for us to leave. Unless you wanted us to stay?"

"No."

While Ron went to fetch his wife, Ginny's thoughts turned back to a similar scene where she stood before a crib with a sleeping baby in it: Teddy Lupin. It had been Harry standing with her then as it should be now, not Ron.

Hermione's entered and started to speak as she was pulling her coat on, but Ron silenced her with a look, and Ginny guessed that it had something to do with the programme, because Hermione looked livid.

"Right," she said in a bemused sort of way. "We'll see you tomorrow then."

"You don't have to come, you know," Ginny said, noting how drawn they both looked. "James and I can manage by ourselves. Really, we can."

"Of course you can," Hermione said dismissively. "We'll stop by just to see how he's doing though."

It was pointless to argue with them. Ginny knew from experience that she could talk to them until she was blue in the face and they would still show up the next day. She didn't mind the company, but she rather thought that they could do with some rest and relaxation. Acting as her constant companions was clearly having its effect on their sleep, and making them more short-tempered than usual.

The flat seemed too quiet, and even more empty than usual once Ginny closed the door on Ron and Hermione's retreating backs. She returned to staring at her sleeping son until her own eyelids started to droop and she was too tired to think, before dragging herself off to bed.

Gabriel Mercer's WWN programme was heard all across Britain. Thousands of witches and wizards tuned into it every day, but Ginny hadn't considered what that meant until the following morning. The Daily Prophet and the WWN were abuzz with Declan Fohn's accusations and beliefs, and the WWN was flooded with owls from people wishing to register their opinion. Most, Ginny was happy to hear, thought that Fohn was an idiot, and was pandering to those of Voldemort's sympathizers, that were still free. Several letters happened to be Howlers that went off on-air, shouting about how the management at the WWN could let such a weak, despicable little man say anything against Harry Potter! On the other side of the line, were those who agreed with Fohn and took issue with classification of the Weasleys as one of the most respected families in the Wizarding community.

Ginny found the whole thing frankly ridiculous. She turned off the wireless within minutes. The Daily Prophet received the same treatment. The second she saw the front page taken up completely by a picture of Declan Fohn holding the Evening Prophet and gesturing to her own picture - obviously snapped upon her arrival at the Quidditch stadium the previous morning - her blood pressure had risen.

"Honestly! They have no idea where Lestrange is hiding, there's been a rash of magical break-ins at Muggle homes, the Cannons have stupidly signed Dragomir Gorgovitch again and they have to report on this?" she ranted to her mother as she crumpled up the paper and threw it away.

The true extent of the programme didn't hit Ginny until she and Tougas arrived at the Quidditch stadium later that morning.

It was quite usual for a crowd to be milling about the building, hoping to catch sight of one of their favorite players. It wasn't a crowd of a few dozen though, that met them, but rather a supercharged mob of at least a hundred. Upon seeing Ginny they rushed forwards, and would have trampled their targets had not Ginny and Tougas had the sense to cast Shield Charms.

"This is all because of that stupid programme, isn't it?" Ginny yelled to Tougas as they forced their way through the crowd.

"Probably," he said, using an Impediment Jinx on a man with a thick arm who was blocking their path.

It was enough of a challenge to make it through the mob that they didn't have much effort left for listening to the many things that were being shouted, however one question rose above the rest as they reached the doors.

"How does it feel to know you sullied your own family tree by giving it up to a half-blood who treated you like a common whore?"

Ginny was on the verge of turning back when Tougas grabbed her arm.

"It'll only encourage them," he said in an undertone. "If you don't say anything, it'll go away faster."

Ginny decided to heed his advice, which turned out to be wrong. Though she didn't so much as roll an eye at some of the ludicrous accusations that were everywhere over the next few weeks, the story seemed to grow bigger and bigger, making it harder to get to work and for the Harpies to practice owing to the number of attempted fly-bys. It made Rossi and Tougas's investigation into Keddle's stalker all the more difficult as well. It was only a matter of time before their continued presence at stadium caught people's attention, and within days the news was out about Keddle's stalker. Hermione seemed to be right about him being scared away, because over the next weeks he didn't try to contact Keddle at all, not that he would have been able to with the growing number of people who were congregating about the stadium each day.

"This is getting ridiculous," Jordana thundered, a few days before Christmas, when Rhea Jordan came to tell her that they had thwarted another person trying to ride over their enchantments on a Comet Two-Ninety. "We're never going to get any work done unless we deal with this."

So it was that Ginny was sitting at a long table with her six teammates, their reserve players, Jordana and Adrasteia Gerard the day before Christmas Eve. She had tried to convince Jordana that a press conference was a bad idea, that the reporters were bound to make it about Fohn and Keddle's stalker, but she couldn't prevent it from happening.

"Thank you all for coming on such short notice," Jordana said, standing up and addressing the two-dozen reporters in the room. "As you are no doubt aware there have been some sensational reports regarding several members of this team." There was a general murmur of agreement. Jordana raised herself up to full height and stared down at the reporters in her best intimidating manner. "I want it known that we will not be answering any of those questions today. This panel is here to discuss Quidditch, and only Quidditch."

Ginny thought she was asking for a lot, and knowing how these sorts of conferences usually went, she thought Jordana was expecting the impossible. She could already see a great deal of disappointed expressions.

"Ginny, stop," Gwenog said quietly, grabbing Ginny's wrist and pulling her hand off the table. Ginny hadn't realized she'd been twisting her ring nervously, catching the eye of a reporter in the third row who was scribbling madly.

"Sorry," she said, and resumed twisting her ring in her lap where none but her teammates could see.

"Our first question comes from Jetta Jettison, _Which Broomstick?_" Jordana said. A tall, willowy woman dressed all in black stood up.

"Thank you. This first question is for Ginny Weasley." Ginny grimaced inwardly though she knew Jetta to be a great reporter who wasn't at all prone to tabloid journalism. "How does it feel to be back?"

"You have no idea," Ginny said truthfully and emphatically. "I didn't realize how much I missed the game until I came back and started playing again."

"She also didn't realize how out of practice she would be," Gwenog said, making the entire room, including every member of the team, laugh. "She'll be ready for that first game against the Cannons, don't worry."

"Do you think your chances for the Quidditch Cup are better this year than they've been for the last few years?" Jetta asked, before sitting down. The rule was a maximum of two questions.

"Definitely," Gwenog said, and everyone up and down the table agreed. "Practices have already shown a marked improvement over last year, and we're devising a whole new training regime to ensure we get that cup this year. And before you ask: no we're not giving details. We want to win, not give our opponents the upper hand."

Next up was Zale Zephyros, a tall, dark skinned man from Quidditch Quarterly.

"As Jordana mentioned, there are quite a few things off the pitch that could affect your performance, as has happened over the past two seasons. What steps have you taken to prevent personal affairs affecting your performance?"

A hush fell over the room. This was a Quidditch question, but one that trod very close to the line of the personal, and obviously directed at Ginny and Keddle. Ginny cast a glance at Jordana and saw that she was frowning, apparently debating whether to object to it. The decision was taken out of her hands.

"Try to keep your focus on the task at hand rather than worrying what's going on off the pitch," Keddle said, with a quick glance at Ginny, who nodded. She couldn't have said it better herself.

Zephyros pulled a skeptical face, as did many of the other reporters in the room.

"Onwards and upwards." Gwenog replied. "We're not going to let past issues prevent us from getting the cup this year."

"It would make for interesting games, that is true," Zephyros said. "But, forgive me for saying this: It seems more likely then ever that performance would suffer. The mad man hasn't been caught yet, has he? As any parent knows, sleepless nights don't give way to your best performance."

"I don't recall asking for commentary," Jordana said. "Please take your seat."

Zephyros sat down and immediately began writing furiously fast. He seemed to be imitating the woman from the third row who'd been watching Ginny twist her ring, and was the next called by Jordana.

"Hazel Pryer, Witch Weekly."

"Thank you," she said, leaping to her feet. She was wearing an unnaturally large smile that showed her dazzlingly bright teeth. Ginny felt her stomach knot. She didn't like that look, especially in a reporter from Witch Weekly. Since when did that magazine have any interest in Quidditch?

"My first question is for the entire team: Practice and training obviously take up much of your time. How do you balance your commitments to the team with the rest of your life?"

"During the season there isn't much of a balance at all," Dylan responded, getting the nod from the rest of the team. "We're dead on our feet when we get home. Thankfully we all have understanding family and friends."

"It is wonderful to have the support and understanding. What of those who might be too young to understand though, like your son, Ginny?"

The entire room held it's collective breath for several very long seconds while Ginny and the reporter tried to stare each other down. Like with Zephyros, the question still fit within Jordana's guidelines because it was asked in the context of the game, but it was quite obvious that the true meaning of the question lay very far outside the bounds of the pitch.

Ginny wasn't sure she had an answer to the question, even if she had been inclined to answer it. What was more, the reporters in the room seemed to take her non-response as some sort of cue. Many more of them started making notes, and the general air of ordered excitement began to crumble. The room was getting noisier every second.

"We'll take another question," Jordana said loudly. "Please remember to confine your questions to our sport."

She might as well have saved her breath, because next moment half a dozen of the many reporters in the room jumped to their feet and started shouting questions, their words tumbling over each other.

"Is it true that your stalker -"

" - Cropping of Devil's Snare -"

" - Was in your house?"

" - Is this true?"

" - Feel about the Auror office's handling of the Harry Potter -"

" - True that he looks like Harry Potter?"

" - Chances for the Quidditch cup are worse because of all that's going on?"

"Miss, Weasley, your comments on Declan Fohn's insistence on using you and the disappearance of Harry Potter to further his political agenda?"

Ginny almost said something at this last question, but Gwenog stopped her again. They had foreseen that this sort of thing might happen and had come up with a contingency plan for just such an occurrence. When it became clear that they were not going to get the reporters back on track, the entire team stood up as one and left the room.


	5. Chapter Four: Christmas

For the first time in a long time they had the flat to themselves but it was hard to believe they were alone. Boxes were strewn about the sitting room, creating a state of chaos worse than when Harry and Ginny had first moved in. James was having a ball, crawling between the boxes, stopping and falling silent as though he was playing hide and seek. He had also developed a fascination with the tinsel and enjoyed pulling it of the lower branches of the Christmas Tree.

"James, come on now," Ginny said exasperatedly. For the fourth or fifth time she had to use a summoning charm to collect the tinsel and replace it on the tree before reaching into another box. She was checking to see if there were any other non-magical decorations that she'd missed. Rummaging at the bottom of the box she found a spray can - one of Fred and George's bottles of real, non-melting snow.

Ginny dropped the can back into the box and had turned her attention to the box beside when she saw something shiny out of the corner of her eye. Turning to see what it was she felt her jaw drop. James was sitting several feet away from the tree with his arm stretched out and a piece of tinsel was zooming directly toward him. He caught it, and stared at it in amazement before laughing excitedly and looking up at his mum.

Her mother had told her that none of the Weasley children had displayed any signs of magic until they were over a year, and Ginny had witnessed the same in Bill and Fleur's twins, but here was James, not yet ten months and already summoning things to him like it was old news.

"Everyone is going to go mad when I tell them you can do that, you know," she said, picking James up and hugging him to her.

James was indifferent to Ginny's shock. He tugged at the tinsel for several seconds before it snapped. She braced for his cry, but none came; something else had caught his attention. He laughed happily and pointed out the window. Feeling her muscles tauten, Ginny turned. What she saw made her laugh, too. James had just noticed the fat flakes of snow that had started falling since they last looked out the window.

Ginny moved closer to the window on the pretext of letting James see the snow better, but she was just as happy to see it. Most of the time she was glad that London got a fraction of the snow that Hogsmeade did, Christmas Eve being the exception. Peering down into the courtyard she saw more than just a fine dusting of snow on the ground, and it was glittering invitingly in the light from the street lamps. She gave the sitting room a guilty glance - it was a disaster area - before making up her mind.

"Let's go have some fun," she said, already heading for the closet.

Several minutes later, after a tiny battle to make James keep his mittens on, they were tiptoeing down the stairs as quietly as possible so as not to disturb the Cavils. James was cooperating until Hugh came round the corner.

"Oh, hello," he said happily, brushing snow out of his hair and stopping several stairs below them so that their eyes were level. "Off to dinner with the family?"

"That's tomorrow. No, he was fascinated by the snow so I thought I'd take him out to see it up close," Ginny explained. Hugh frowned.

"it might be a bit cold for that sort of thing, Ginny."

"We won't stay out long," she said, as she passed him and continued on her way down the stairs.

He wasn't exaggerating. A blast of icy wind whipped Ginny's hood off the second she stepped outside, and she could see the snow drifting across the courtyard. She almost turned around and went back right back in, but what stopped her was James's reaction. When the first drop of snow touched his cheek he swiped at his face knocking his mitten off. The second flake landed in his hand. melting almost instantly, but he continued to stare at his palm in wonder. Soon he was trying to catch the snow, making it more difficult for Ginny to get his mitten back on. Once she had done though, the snow collected and James waved his hand happily.

"You're mad, Jay," Ginny said, laughing along with him as they walked through the courtyard, trying to stay close to the walls and out of the worst of the wind. They were at the furthest corner from the door when Hugh came out, pulling a hat on. He stopped on the stoop to turn his collar up against the wind, and then started to cross to where she and James were standing. Ginny watched him approach, unsure if she was amused or annoyed.

"He seems to be enjoying himself," Hugh said from the middle of the courtyard. The words were barely out of his mouth when he slipped on a patch of ice and fell into a kneeling position.

Ginny had taken only a few hurried steps before Hugh waved her away.

"I'm fine," he said, sounding embarrassed. He bowed his head and Ginny thought he was examining himself for injuries. She turned her head, hoping to prevent him further embarrassment, a mistake. After a moment Hugh stood up, wearing a devilish grin and he held up his hand, in which he was holding a snowball.

"Don't you dare -" she started to say, but too late. He threw it, not hard, and from a very short distance so there was little risk of anyone getting hurt.

"I can't believe you just did that," she said in tones of mock outrage. "What if it had hit James? He's just a baby and you could have done him a serious injury." She walked past Hugh as though she was going to return to the building, but surreptitiously grabbed a handful of snow as she did. When she had formed it into a ball she turned back, continuing to feign anger. "D'you know what I think?"

"What?" Hugh asked, looking taken aback and slightly ashamed.

Wearing her own devilish grin, Ginny lobbed her hastily formed snowball at him. She hadn't taken any time at all to aim, lest she blow her surprise, but her own reflexes were sharpened since returning to the Quidditch pitch, and she hit him right on the hat. Hugh reached up and brushed the snow off, his surprised expression giving way to a grin.

"That was low, Ginny, using little James like that!"

"Didn't I tell you I need to win at almost any cost?" she asked, preparing for a second attack. Hugh was too quick. He'd already thrown another snowball and by the time Ginny noticed it was too late to move away. She scrunched up her face, waiting for an impact that didn't come. Opening her eyes she saw the snowball hanging unsupported in mid-air right in front of her. Without thinking she reached up and knocked it down, noting Hugh's shocked expression, and James's amazed expression.

"You have to stop doing that," she said in an undertone, adjusting her hold and hugging him close partly to hide his obvious delight from Hugh.

"Is he all right?" Hugh asked, coming over.

"Just cold," Ginny replied, using her teeth to pull off her glove so she could feel James's cheek. It was cool. "Yes, he's had enough with the snow. I'm going to take him back in."

"Did you see what happened with that snowball. D'you think it got caught in a crosswind or something?" Hugh asked, falling into step beside her. He didn't sound like he really believed what he said.

"That must be it," Ginny replied. She adjusted the hood on James's coat.

"Yes, it is starting to get colder out," Hugh said, adjusting his coat as well. "I could do with a cup of tea. How about you?"

Ginny was on the verge of agreeing when her foot slipped on the same patch of ice that had caused Hugh trouble earlier. She did a strange sort of dance, trying to remain on her feet and to protect James in case she fell. Just when it seemed like she was going to lose her battle, Hugh put his arms around her, preventing Ginny falling. He didn't immediately let go when she regained her footing. Instead he brushed several snowflakes from her cheek. His fingers lingered as he started to lower his head.

Ginny didn't realize that she was holding her breath until James let out a cranky cry. He had been quiet since the incident with the snowball but now he started fussing. Breathing deeply, Ginny backed out of Hugh's embrace.

"I've really got to get him inside," she said, feeling winded. "I think James needs a nap, and I've got a thousand things to do before tomorrow. We'll have tea another time, OK?"

She hurried away so fast that she barely heard Hugh's disappointed reply. Once back in the building Ginny practically ran up the stairs, not stopping until she had closed the door of her flat. Then she leaned against it and tried to calm her racing heart. She didn't know what it had been about that moment, but there was no doubt in her mind that had James not interrupted that Hugh was about to kiss her, and that she had been about to let him.

The memory of what had almost happened with Hugh weighed very heavily on Ginny for the rest of the night and she spent the evening locked in a furious debate. Most of the time she felt as though she was carrying around a very heavy ball of guilt. It was too soon for her to be thinking of kissing someone other than Harry, wasn't it? She couldn't even bring herself to take off his ring yet. When she was in this state of mind, she was ready to race up the stairs and slap Hugh for his presumption. She never did so, though, because as she was ready to leave the flat her reason would kick in and she would remind herself that she had let it happen. And why shouldn't she? It had been over a year and there hadn't been any solid leads on what might have happened to Harry. She couldn't wait around forever, could she? And that thought would bring back the big bubble of guilt and start the whole cycle over. As a consequence Ginny slept very badly that night.

"You look awful, Ginny. Are you coming down with a cold?" Molly asked the minute they arrived at the Burrow the following afternoon.

"Happy Christmas to you, too, mum," she replied, allowing her mother to peck her on the cheek. She was saved answering the question thanks to the timely arrival of her father, Fred, George, Ron and Hermione. In the exchange of Christmas greetings the question was forgotten.

James's sleep had been untroubled and he was as alert and happy as ever. Upon seeing Fred and George he laughed delightedly and leaned so far over in his attempt to reach them that it was all Ginny could do to hold onto him. George reached over and took him.

"I guess that ends the debate over who the favorite uncles are," he said, but with something less than his usual jocular manner. He was wearing an expression of concern similar to the one their mother had been.

"I should be worried about that, shouldn't I?" she asked, making everyone smile.

James wasn't the only child who gravitated towards Fred and George, though. Both Riley and Simon, Bill and Fleur's children, and Teddy Lupin preferred to be in Fred and George's company than any of the other men in the family. They, in turn, were surprisingly good with the kids, and did very few things that were actually dangerous.

"You look peaky," Arthur said, giving Ginny a hug. "Is everything all right?"

"Yes," Ginny said, a little too abruptly. "I just . . . was up a lot with James."

It wasn't entirely a lie. Her debate extended into dreams filled with Harry's betrayed expression. She woke up several times during the night, and had increasing trouble getting back to sleep so Ginny did fall back on her usual habit of watching her son sleep. She suspected, from the doubtful look on her father's face, that he saw right through her pitiful cover-up, but he didn't question it. He kissed her on the forehead, grabbed a plate of treacle tart and followed Fred and George into the sitting room.

Ginny shrugged her coat off and joined her mother at the counter, shouting down the protests that she needed her rest. Soon she was supervising the chopping of seven different vegetables, and the baking of a pumpkin pie. Hermione was twirling her wand and squeezing oranges into a large punch bowl. Close to, Ginny saw that Hermione looked like her sleep hadn't been the most restful either.

"Is something the matter?" she asked when Molly disappeared into the sitting room with yet another plate of sweets.

"The matter? No, nothing's the matter," Hermione said in a strained voice. She averted her eyes.

"Are you sure?"

"It's fine. All fine. Just a busy time at work, is all." Hermione pasted a smile onto her face, but it flickered for a moment when they heard Molly admonishing Fred and George for something they'd allowed Riley and Simon to do. "We're drafting a new proposal on house elf regulations that is going up in front of the committee first thing in the new year, and all Molly can ask is if I'm tired because I might be pregnant. Sometimes she is the limit."

"You're not, are you?" Ginny asked, before she could help herself.

"No, of course I'm not. I would know if I was," Hermione snapped, snatching the bowl of juice and heading for the sitting room, leaving Ginny alone, smiling. It was nice that her mother had decided to turn her attention to someone else for a change, however irksome it was,

Molly returned a moment later; Hermione was not with her, but her dramatic exit was felt. Molly repeatedly glanced back at the door to the sitting room, her frown increasing each time she did so. Ginny remained silent for several minutes, wondering if it was really her place to say anything. From her own experience, she knew that her mother's well wishes could feel more like meddling, especially when you were already under stress. She decided to say something.

"Mum, did you mention grandkids to Ron and Hermione today?" Ginny asked delicately, carrying a plate of vegetables to the table.

"I might have done. Why?"

"Hermione seemed a bit upset about it and I'm sorry to say, mum, but you can get a bit carried away. I know you mean well," she added hastily. "But she's under a lot of stress with her deadlines at work. If I were you I wouldn't press it right now."

"You think so?" Molly asked, her wand paused in the act of setting the dishes to wash. Hermione helpfully chose that moment to walk through the kitchen and out the back door, keeping her eyes averted. Ron, looking more apologetic though saying nothing either, quickly followed. Both Molly and Ginny watched as they walked towards the gate at the end of the lane. Only when they were there did Hermione turn to face Ron. They were too far away to clearly see their expressions, but the forcefulness of Hermione's gesticulations made her anger easy to read.

"I really do," Ginny said.

Molly's constant badgering about when she and Harry were going to get married had for a long time been a source of irritation to Ginny. In light of everything that had happened in the last thirteen months she had begun to wonder if she hadn't blown things out of proportion. It was easy to think that after the fact, but Hermione's angry reaction served as a good reminder of how aggravating her mother could get, however well-meaning her intentions.

Molly had gone to supervise the preparation of the sitting room for Christmas dinner when Ron and Hermione finally came back into the house. They were both red in the face, whether from cold or anger it was hard to tell, though the look on Hermione's face made Ginny suspect the latter.

"Is everything OK?" she asked, noting the furious snarl Hermione gave to Ron as he headed for the sitting room again.

"Never been better," Hermione said sarcastically.

"There's no need to take my head off about it. I only wanted to make sure everything was OK," Ginny replied, a little snappishly before reminding herself that Hermione was speaking out of frustration. Taking a deep breath, she said, "I've told mum to lay off about the two of you having kids -"

"Have you?" Hermione interrupted, sounding defensive. "Who asked you to do that?"

"I was just trying to help. I won't bother in future if it upsets you that much."

"No, no. I'm sorry." She looked it, too.

"Maybe you should take a holiday if you're that overworked," Ginny replied, before removing the pie from the oven.

Hermione hesitated in speaking and when she finally did, it was to turn the tables on Ginny. "You never answered your mum about why you look so peaky. What's going on with you?"

Thinly veiled as Hermione's attempt to change topics was, Ginny didn't call her on it. She hesitated for just a moment before she explained all about the events from the previous evening. She had a feeling that pressing Hermione about her issues right now would result in a huge argument, and in any case it would be good to get someone else's opinion about what she should do and how she was feeling.

"You know why you had that dream, right?" she asked when Ginny had finished speaking. "You feel guilty because you really wanted to kiss him, but you think that if you did that you would be betraying Harry."

"No, really?"

"Yes, really," Hermione replied, ignoring the sarcasm. "I understand why you feel that way, but you really shouldn't. Not after all this time. It's OK that you're starting to move on."

"I'm not ready to do that yet," Ginny said, fingering her ring again.

"Then what almost happened last night?"

Ginny and Hermione were unable to continue their conversation because Molly entered the kitchen, issuing instructions to Ginny, Hermione, Ron, Arthur and Charlie for the transport of the remaining food into the sitting room. Moments later seventeen people were crammed around a long table, and the room was filled with happy chatter and the delighted laughs of Riley, Simon, Teddy and James. In the festive atmosphere, Hermione seemed to relax, and Ginny was able to forget about everything that had happened the night before and just enjoy a happy dinner with her family.

Ginny was having some difficulty feeding James in his high chair. He seemed more interested in throwing the food at Teddy who was right next to him. Teddy was responding in kind.

"Stop doing that," Ginny said sternly, as Tonks echoed her from Teddy's right. Both boys lowered their arms, looked at their mothers with stunned expressions, and then James started to cry. Ginny took him out of the high chair and attempted to calm him by bouncing him on her knee. It didn't work as it usually did.

"He's a little overdue for a nap," she said apologetically, standing up and leaving the room as James began to cry louder. He cried all the way up the stairs and into Ginny's old room, where her mother had added an old bassinet for the times they stayed over. She worried that it would take him a long time to fall asleep, given how

overtired her was, but his eyes started drooping the moment they walked into the bedroom, and within ten minutes he was fast asleep.

The change that had come over the Burrow in the time that Ginny was gone made it feel like several hours had passed. She saw that all of the dinner dishes were cleared away and were washing up in the sink. Lupin and Tonks were standing at the door with Molly, pulling on their cloaks at the door, the former holding Teddy.

"Leaving so soon?" Ginny interrupted her mother's well wishes. It was still very early and she was surprised that they were leaving..

"Teddy's starting to get just as fussy as James," Tonks said. "And I've got a lot of work to do."

Upon her return to work after having Teddy, Tonks was asked to join the task force assembled to track Bellatrix Lestrange. Though it was never expressly stated, everyone knew that she was there because Harry wasn't. As such, out of respect for Ginny, she didn't talk about it much.

"Why don't you see them to the gate, Ginny?" Molly said with a nervous glance at the door to the sitting room.

"OK," Ginny said suspiciously. She grabbed her coat and walked with Lupin and Tonks. "Any idea what's going on in there?"

They exchanged a glance and Tonks looked looked away. It was as good as a detailed confession.

"They were talking about Harry, weren't they?"

"Discussing whether he scarpered or not," Lupin said, explaining the reason for their sudden departure. Understandably, given the nature of his relationship with Harry and his father, Lupin was intolerant of ridiculous ideas about what had happened to Harry.

"What do you think?" she asked, needing to hear the words again.

They had reached the gate before Lupin responded. He let Tonks walk through and then he stopped, placing his free hand on the post.

"We've discussed this before. My views have not changed." Seeing that this was not going to be enough for Ginny, Lupin continued. "Regardless of what was happening, he wouldn't have left without a word to anyone, not when he was happier than I could ever recall."

"I know." Ginny nodded, and forced herself to ask one last question that had occurred to her with Lupin's use of the past tense. "D'you think he's still out there somewhere? Or do you think . . . "

"D'you really want to get into this on Christmas?" Tonks asked. "We can talk about it another time, no?"

"I agree," Lupin replied, with such finality that Ginny knew they wouldn't discuss the matter anymore this evening.

"You'll have to come by soon," she said, admitting defeat. She gave each of the three Lupin's a kiss, smoothing back Teddy's blue hair as she did so, and feeling remiss because of how little time she spent with him. He was Harry's godson after all.

"We well," Tonks said. She squeezed Ginny's hand before Disapparating. Lupin quickly followed her.

Ginny stayed outside for several minutes after the echos of their Disapparition had faded. She knew that they were right and it was slightly morbid to keep rehashing it over and over, but her own uncertainty was like a compulsion that made her do it.

With the utmost reluctance Ginny returned to the house. She lingered in the kitchen as long as she dared, not wanting to overhear any part of the discussion about Harry. It sounded to her like they had moved onto other topics though, and she cautiously entered the sitting room to see Percy brandishing a copy of the previous day's Prophet. The front page was again filled with a photo of one of her least favorite people: Declan Fohn.

"Must you flash that about?" she asked from the doorway. "We just ate."

"It is not a laughing matter, Ginny," Percy said, speaking loud so that he could be heard over everyone's chuckles. "Ever since his appearance on Gabriel Mercer's programme, support for Fohn has been on the rise. And not just in Britain. If we're not careful we could have another You-Know-Who on our hands."

"Don't you think that's a bit of a stretch?" Hermione asked, making heads turn. She, a Muggle-born, would have been the last they'd expect to support any of Fohn's views. Seeing their reactions, she clarified her point. "I just mean that he's not in Voldemort's league when it comes to magic. And didn't he say that he just wanted to encourage people to take pride in their heritage?"

"That's how it started with You-Know-Who," Arthur said. "It isn't as big a leap as you think to go from preaching pride to ordering extermination. And I might remind you that there are more than a few people who think that Declan Fohn and his group are nothing more than a front for Lestrange. With all the Death Eaters the Aurors have been catching over these last few months she's starting to run short of supporters. A gathering of Fohn's supporters would be the perfect recruitment camp for her."

"If nothing more, all this attention he's getting is a smoke screen," Ginny said. "It's buried the stories about all those break-ins. Tougas was telling me that they think Lestrange is behind those, too. They think she's trying to find Harry."

"Or you," Bill said, drawing everyone's attention to him. "If she really believes that Harry is alive but can't find him, you would be the next logical target."

"I still think you're wrong," Ginny said, trying to ignore the fact that everyone was now watching her with worried expressions. "For one thing, she's had over a year to get to me and nothing's happened. Second, even if she does happen to find out where I'm staying there are all those security spells. If she shows up at my flat she' more likely to get caught than anywhere else."

"But she won't go down without a fight," Ron said. "Remember what happened to Mad-Eye the last time we got involved in a duel with her and her Death Eaters?"

Ginny opened her mouth, but couldn't think of anything to say. She hadn't been there but knew all about that night when Lestrange had tried to get Hermione.

"I think we should open the presents," Molly said to break the tense silence,

They tried hard to bring back the festive atmosphere as they ripped open their presents, but with little success. Even Fred and George remained subdued, their jokes falling flat.

An hour after the presents were opened Bill and Fleur left with Riley and Simon. Charlie went with them, promising Molly that he wouldn't be gone for long.

"Are you sure you don't want to stay here, Ginny?" her mother asked when Ginny said she was going to leave as well. She was sure part of the invitation stemmed from the talk of Lestrange. It was a tempting offer, but Ginny declined. She wanted to sleep in her own bed. Somehow the Burrow didn't seem as much like home as it used to.

Percy, Ron and Hermione left while Ginny went upstairs to get James and when she returned Fred and George were at the door.

"Mum's ordered us to take you home," Fred said.

"I can find my own way, mum."

It was a half-hearted attempt to get her mother to change her mind, but it didn't work. Ginny and her brothers arrived back at her flat moments later. The most exciting thing that happened was James waking up and letting out a cry of shock at the different surroundings. He stopped as soon as they stepped into the courtyard.

"You don't have to come all the way up," Ginny said. "I'm sure I can manage the last dozen feet by myself."

"Our orders were to see you inside," George said, standing straight backed like a soldier. All that was missing was the salute. Ginny laughed and shook her head.

"See? Nothing to worry about," she stated when they had entered the empty flat. Ginny took James from Fred and headed for his room and his crib. He'd already fallen asleep again.

"What a wasted trip," Fred said in mock frustration. "This side-track will cost you, Gin."

"There's Firewhisky in the cupboard above the stove," she called from James's bedroom.

Fred and George headed for the kitchen while Ginny busied herself pulling off James's jacket. She was just laying him down in the crib when the silence was shattered by a loud rapping on the door. James woke with a start and began to cry again.

"Stay there," Fred said, sliding into the room while George went to answer the door. Both of them had their wands out. Ginny pulled her own wand out and held it tightly while she tried to soothe James. Her thoughts turned immediately to Lestrange. Had she been completely wrong in thinking she wasn't a target?

"It's your upstairs neighbor," George called, sounding relieved. "And . . . . blimey!"

"What?" Ginny asked, poking her head around the door frame as George undid the lock and opened the door.

Hugh was standing there with Evangeline Keddle.


	6. Chapter Five: Mum's The Word

"It was him, Ginny, you were right," Keddle said shakily several minutes later when they were finally alone in the sitting room. Ginny had asked Fred and George to put James to bed, and sent Hugh to make tea.

The victorious feeling Ginny thought she would have felt at being right didn't come. Instead she was worried about the circumstance that had brought Keddle to her flat on Christmas, and how she had got through the security spells. Very few people knew where Ginny lived, and the only person from the Harpies who did was Jordana. It was unlikely that Jordana would have instructed Keddle to come here without first consulting Ginny. Another troubling fact was that Keddle had shown up at the door with Hugh. They'd obviously spent some time together, but how much? What might Keddle have let slip about the magical world in her overwrought state? And what might Hugh have said in return?

"What happened?" Ginny asked, trying to ignore the questions that were making her head spin. Keddle was obviously distressed, and Ginny needed to focus on that right now. The other questions could wait.

"He was in my flat again." Her voice was steady, but weak, and Ginny guessed that Keddle wasn't going to be able to hold it together for much longer. "He set off the sensors that Tougas and Rossi placed there, but he was too quick for them. By the time they got there he was gone."

Ginny felt her frustration increase. She had hoped that Keddle was going to tell her that Tougas and Rossi had caught the maniac and were carting him off to Azkaban as they spoke and wanted Keddle to stay here while they finished their investigation of her flat. The fact that he had slipped through their clutches again did nothing to bolster her already tenuous faith in the Auror office.

"I don't even what to think what would have happened if I had been home. I did decide to go to my brother's after all, but I couldn't take his 'perfect' wife and so I left early. I was just coming home when he . . . when we literally ran into each other."

She stopped talking as Hugh entered the room with tea. After setting the tray on the table he perched on the arm of the sofa closest to Ginny, who was annoyed by his presumption and the way Keddle looked from one to the other questioningly.

Ginny knew perfectly well that Hugh had stayed and had agreed to make the tea because he was waiting for an opportunity to talk about what had happened the previous night. He'd held his tongue so far, but she knew it was only a matter of time, and made her unwilling to be alone with him tonight. She didn't want to tell him she wasn't ready to start anything. That could wait until after the holidays.

Keddle clutched her cup of tea in her hands and alternated between lifting it to her lips and glancing at Hugh. She had become mute, obviously unwilling to say anything else in his presence. Ginny didn't press the matter, allowing Keddle some time to collect herself before she continued, She also hoped that Hugh would take the hint and leave, but he just continued to sip his tea, apparently quite at his ease. At least he was doing until the silence was shattered by a noise from James's room.

"What now?" Ginny muttered under her breath, hastily setting her tea cup down and splashing a good deal of the contents onto the coffee table. Ignoring this, she hurried out of the room, wondering for what felt like the millionth time if she had misplaced her trust in her brothers.

She met Fred and George coming out of the room with James who was in his pajamas, but still awake, and very cranky. The minute he saw Ginny, he stretched out his arms. She took him from Fred. James immediately lay his head on her shoulder and closed his eyes.

"I thought I asked you to put him to sleep?" she said testily to her brothers, who for a reason best known to them, were grinning.

"We were doing, but he wasn't ready to," Fred replied.

"he wouldn't be, would he, if you keep playing with him."

"We weren't, Ginny, honest," George replied. "We were just waiting to make sure he fell asleep, when it happened."

"What happened?" Ginny immediately began to examine James for signs of illness or injury.

"He's fine," Fred said, nettled. "He didn't hurt himself, he just said his first word."

"Oh good," Ginny said, not really listening as she continued her examination to make sure that James was indeed fine. "As long as you two weren't up to your usual tricks."

"No, no Ginny," George said, putting a hand on her shoulder to get her attention. "He said his first word."

"Don't be stupid, he's too young for that." Even as she said it though, Ginny looked at her son in amazement. James was also too young to be performing magic, yet he had done that yesterday. She felt a lump forming in her throat and swallowed it painfully. "What did he say?"

"Mum," Fred and George chorused.

"He did not?"

"Did, too."

"You're full of surprises, Jay," she said, kissing the top of his head. He shifted in his sleep but didn't stir.

"He _does_ look exactly like Harry," Keddle said, leaning over the arm of the sofa to peer around the corner. Her simple statement had a profound effect on the mood of the room. Fred and George's expressions became fixed, Hugh had crossed his arms and was scowling, an expression Ginny was sure hadn't been there a moment earlier.

"Yeah," Ginny said, her voice further constricted by the apprehension the mention of Harry's name had caused. She hurriedly made her excuses and headed for James's room. He didn't wake, or even stir as she laid him in his crib, but she still stayed there for several minutes, ensuring that she had fully regained her composure.

When she returned to the sitting room it was to find that the tense atmosphere had not dissipated. Fred, George and Hugh were standing with their arms folded, staring in opposite directions. Keddle had got a wash cloth from the kitchen and was cleaning up the spilled tea.

"You don't have to do that, Eva," Ginny said, hurrying over.

"I don't mind. I find it helps to take my mind off things if I have something to do," Keddle replied, surreptitiously glancing at the three men.

"Thanks."

Feeling as though she hadn't slept in a week, Ginny sat down on the sofa, put her head back, closed her eyes and yawned widely. Her bed had never seemed more inviting, but she knew it would be some time before she could crawl into it.

"D'you want us to stay?" George asked.

"Why would I want you to stay?" Ginny didn't bother to open her eyes. "Nothing happened here! And in case you haven't noticed, I don't really have the room."

Fred and George had to concede the point. One extra person could potentially sleep on the sofa, but there simply was not room for three extra bodies.

"All right, but don't do anything stupid, or mum will murder us," Fred replied. He and George had taken the hint to leave, because they were already making their way to the door, not so subtly urging Hugh to do the same. He hung back though.

"I won't stay long," he said, more to Fred and George than to Ginny. She rather hoped they would press the point, but they merely shrugged and said their good nights.

"I need to get back to Keddle," Ginny said, holding the door open long after Fred and George disappeared down the stairs. "And I didn't get much sleep last night, so . . . "

"So you're just going to push me out the door without talking bout what happened last night?"

"Nothing happened last night!" Ginny said impatiently, disliking his tone.

Hugh stared at her angrily for a moment, before amending his question. "Fine, what almost happened last night then?"

"I don't have time to debate semantics with you, Hugh." Ginny placed a hand on his chest and pushed him out into the hall. "We'll talk another time, OK?"

Hugh didn't look pleased and Ginny expected him to debate her, but he turned around and plodded up the stairs with slumped shoulders. It was such a defeated posture that Ginny almost called him back. Almost. She had to remind herself that Keddle's needs were much more pressing.

"He's a Muggle?" Keddle asked the minute Ginny reappeared in the sitting room.

"He is," Ginny said, reminded of her earlier worry about what Keddle might have said to him before she discovered this.

"I figured as much when he didn't know all about Harry."

"What do you mean? What did you say?"

"Nothing. It's just . . . You weren't here when Tougas dropped me off so I waited outside your door. Hugh got here first and when he saw how upset I was he offered to let me wait in his flat. I was just telling him how bad I felt for imposing on you after everything that you and Harry had been through. When he didn't know what I meant I knew he must be a Muggle. I just told him to ask you about everything."

"Oh . . . Thanks," Ginny muttered, feeling ashamed of her outburst.

"is there something going on with you two?" The slight smile on her face was so reminiscent of the old Keddle that Ginny couldn't help but return it, but she seized her advantage to turn talk away from herself.

"Weren't we talking about what happened to you? You said you ran into the stalker. How did you get away?"

The smile and the colour on Keddle's face vanished almost at once.

"If I'd kept my head we probably could have caught him, but I was thinking about the family dinner. I didn't even notice him, but he noticed me. He was running, probably from Tougas and Rossi, but he - he grabbed me. I didn't have time to reach for my wand or anything." She shivered, and wrapped her arms around herself protectively. "He tried to Disapparate but wasn't able to."

"Then the protections do work, somewhat," Ginny said. "He was surprised by your appearance, I guess?"

Keddle shrugged.

"That's what I was thinking while I was waiting for you. Like I said before, going to my brother's was a last minute thing. I think he thought that I was going to be home, and . . . and then he could have taken me quickly before Tougas and Rossi showed up . . . " Her voice shook as she said these last words. She'd held it together fairly well, but recalling it now was obviously costing her a great deal.

"It's OK, Eva," Ginny said, patting her hand. "If you don't want to talk about it anymore -"

"I don't think it was more than a minute, from when he grabbed me to when I got free, Ginny, but it was the longest minute of my life. I fought him hard as I could, more than I've ever done in my life because I knew . . . I could see this feral . . . This leering look." She tightened her arms across her chest, turning slightly green.

Ginny nodded in understanding. She knew all too well what sort of look Keddle was talking about: a piercing stare that made the skin crawl. She'd recently seen traces of that look when she'd encountered the man on her first day back at the stadium, but she had much more personal experience with that sort of look, and what it led to courtesy of Harry's cousin.

"Now that they know what he looks like, hopefully they'll be able to catch him," she said through clenched teeth, having to remind herself how to breathe.

"Tougas brought me here while they add some additional security spells to my flat. I said we should ask you first, I don't want to intrude, but he -"

"It's the smartest thing he's done in a while."

"But you just said you don't really have the room. And there's a madman after me. I don't want to make it more dangerous for you and James."

"This flat is probably the best protected place in all of London," Ginny explained. "I don't think he'll find you here. And if he does . . . Well, let's just say that I owe him one. Besides, Eva, you forget that I'm used to living with people who have madmen after them. I insist that you stay here until they arrest that maniac."

By Valentine's Day, however, Ginny regretted her insistence on having Keddle stay. It wasn't that she was demanding. Quite the contrary, she was beyond helpful and more than willing to pull her weight, but certain idiosyncrasies that had been amusing when they were sharing a changing room because irksome or annoying when having to deal with them on a daily basis. For instance, the flat had never been better organized, but it came at the cost of a long lecture if even the slightest thing was out of place, a difficult thing to avoid with a baby.

At times Ginny was on the verge of rescinding her invitation, but it seemed that whenever she started to, something would happen to reinforce her original decision. The stalker, it seemed, was getting desperate. He hadn't yet found out where Keddle was staying, but that didn't dissuade him in the least. His inability to intrude on her at home had made him double his efforts at the Quidditch Stadium. Almost daily there was some sign that he'd been there: more deadly plant-life, candies that contained dangerous poisons, or envelopes containing curses.

"We're getting close to finding out who it is," Rossi told Keddle in a reassuring sort of voice the morning of their first match.

Keddle didn't seem convinced, and Ginny didn't blame her. They'd been on the case for two and a half months and didn't even have a name? That was pathetic, especially given all the evidence he was leaving behind.

"You need to get that maniac behind bars," Ginny asked, putting an arm around Keddle's shoulders.

"Well . . . The thing is that he seems to have gone underground. We've reinforced our spells though," Rossi explained.

"Not helping," Ginny said, feeling Keddle start to shake as she looked over at the latest gift: a large teddy bear that they had already determined was infused with a sleeping draught that was released if the bear was squeezed. "We've already had to change venues because of this."

"We're doing the best we can," Rossi said, scratching the back of his neck, obviously uncomfortable. "We've got this whole place covered in protective spells, so if he's stupid enough to try to get in here, we'll get him."

Ginny was doubtful of Rossi's certainty, because the stalker had been getting around their security spells for several months now, and they were at a decided disadvantage playing in the Tutshill Tornados stadium rather than their own. She was prevented from pressing the matter when someone shouted her name. She jumped up, only to realize that it was Jordana.

"They're _finally_ here."

"Oh." Ginny spent a few seconds dithering about what to do with Keddle. She didn't think that it was wise for her teammate to be left alone. If the stalker had somehow managed to get past the security spells again then Keddle would be a sitting duck, but Ron and Hermione had just arrived with James and she wanted to say a quick hello before the match started.

"Go on, we've only got a few minutes," Jordana said. She looked drawn. This whole situation had been difficult on the whole team. "I'll stay with her."

Ginny thanked her and hurried out in the corridor, which contained the usual last minute stragglers. Most of them were in too much of a rush, trying to get to their seats to pay any attention to a young couple with a child.

"I thought you'd never get here," Ginny said, stretching out her arms to take him from Ron.

"Mum," James said, holding out his arms. Ginny gave him a kiss on the forehead. She hadn't yet tired of hearing him say the word.

"Was it your fault that they were late?" she asked him.

"No, we . . . just got a slow start," Ron said, glancing nervously at Hermione, who was maintaining her silence, and looked hacked off about something. Ginny opened her mouth to ask what it was, but the door to the changing rooms opened.

"Weasley, come on. Kick off's in ten minutes," Gwenog called.

"Coming," Ginny replied, still watching Ron and Hermione. There was something serious going on with them, something more than the strain of too many long hours at work. She wanted to address it now, but Gwenog was waiting, and people walking by were starting to recognize her. A man in a corduroy suit glanced at them as he passed, walking just behind a squat woman pushing a pram. Both of them glanced at Ginny before moving on. "You should go get your seats before someone sees you here."

"Good luck," Hermione said, immediately walking away.

"Show the Tornadoes who's boss," Ron added and turned to follow Hermione.

"Dada," James said loudly.

This simple word made Ginny's heart skip several beats. She spun around in slow motion, first to see if anyone had noticed, and then as though she was expecting to see Harry standing behind her. He wasn't there, of course, but James's shout had caught the attention of several latecomers, including the pram-pusher and the man in the horrible brown suit, The latter reached in his pocket, and Ginny was seized with the horrible idea that he was some sort of reporter,. She hissed her suspicion to Ron,

"Clear off," he said fiercely. He was much taller than the weedy little man, who sized him up and after only a split second withdrew his hand from his jacket and walked away. Hermione had pulled out her wand, but she hastily slid it back into her pocket when the man retreated.

"Come on, let's go," she said, taking Ron by the arm and leading him away. She didn't even glance back at Ginny, proving that there was definitely something wrong. Ginny considered again going after them and demanding to know what was wrong, but that would have to wait for another time.

It was hard to sit through the pre-match speech Jordana was giving. Her mind kept wanting to focus on other things, like Ron and Hermione, and if she had made the right decision in agreeing to let them bring James to the match. He'd already caught the attention of one reporter, what if he told others and there was a mob scene in the stands? If he got hurt because she'd made a bad decision . . .

It was Keddle who once again forced Ginny to think of something other than her own problems. They were sitting side by side on the bench. Keddle was gripping the edge of the bench tightly, and she looked slightly green. She looked worse than she had done a few minutes earlier.

"What's the matter?" Ginny asked, talking out of the corner of her mouth so as not to interrupt Jordana's pep talk.

"Just a little under the weather, is all," Keddle replied. It was a bald faced lie, and one that wasn't very convincing. Ginny opened her mouth to say something else but Kedle had gone back to listening, or pretending to listen, to Jordana.

Minutes later they were walking out onto the pitch amid the screams and shouts of nearly fifteen thousand. As they faced the Tornadoes, Ginny took the opportunity to scan the stands. She could just make out Ron and Hermione sitting with the rest of the family. Lupin and Tonks were there as well, the latter unmistakable because of her bubblegum pink hair. It made her feel better to see so many people there because it meant that James was safe.

Ginny caught one last glimpse of Keddle before the referee blew his whistle. She wondered if the latter was going to pass out, and it it mightn't be better to postpone the start of the game, but then the whistle blew and the Quaffle was released, and she didn't have time to think of anything else.

She lunged for the Quaffle, but was knocked out of the way by Bole, one of the Chasers from the Tornadoes. He tucked the red ball under his arm and sped off towards the goal. Ginny followed him, determined to get possession of the ball. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Howard aim a Bludger at him. He dropped lower to avoid it, but his attention was diverted by the maneuver and Ginny zoomed in and snatched the Quaffle. By the time he realized that it was gone she had already passed it along to Gwenog, who had passed to King. They were streaking up the pitch and closing in on the Tornados's goals.

"The first point goes to the Harpies," called the announcer happily over the roar of the crowd. Ginny joined in, cheering Gwenog's excellent Chasing abilities.

There wasn't much time for celebration, however. Fleurry, one of the other Tornadoes Chasers had caught the Quaffle and was speeding down the pitch. Ginny ducked a Bludger aimed at her, nearly colliding with Howard as she did so, losing valuable time in the process.

"And the Tornados get even with a goal of their own," the announcer yelled so that he could be heard over the cheers from the Tornadoes supporters. "It's ten - ten and Harpies Chaser Weasley is in possession."

The time Ginny had lost in dodging the Bludger worked out to her benefit. She was lagging behind everyone else, and was free when Gwenog caught the Quaffle after it went through their hoops. She threw it to Ginny, who immediately took advantage of her clear field and shot towards the other goals. They needed an early lead.

She might not have made the goal if another Bludger hadn't been sent her way in advance of the approaching Tornados Chasers. It grazed her ear and headed straight for the Keeper, who swerved just enough that his left hoop was free. Wasting no time, Ginny threw as hard as she could. A second later someone crashed into her and sent her careening towards the goal hoops. She only just managed to avoid crashing into the Keeper. She didn't know if her shot had made it in until the referee blew his whistle and called for a penalty shot.

"Get this in, and we'll be thirty-ten," Gwenog said, patting Ginny hard on the shoulder.

After a minute of sizing up the Keeper, Ginny was able to do just that. The Harpies supporters let out a very loud collective shout of appreciation. She waved at them in acknowledgement before returning to the game.

The Tornados were not used to losing the lead so early, and they spent the next ten minutes trying every move known in Quidditch to get the Quaffle through the Harpies hoops, but Dylan was equal to them, making some amazing saves that could easily wind up in the next edition of Quidditch Quarterly. And while she was pulling off those amazing goal keeping tactics, Ginny, Gwenog and King were able to score four more goals.

Gwenog had the Quaffle again was was heading up the pitch for another attempt at a goal when Kovacs, the Tornados' Seeker, cut across her path, nearly knocking Gweong out of the air. Before they had a chance to call foul, however, he had joined his teammates in mid-air, his arm held up in triumph.

"He caught the snitch," King said, flying up to join Ginny and Gwenog. "Keddle didn't even go for it. She was on the opposite end of the pitch. Look."

Keddle was hovering below the Tornados' goal. She didn't seem aware that the game had ended.

Gwnog swore and threw the Quaffle to the ground..

"I know she's got some nutter after her," she said, "but she swore that it wouldn't affect her performance. She swore!" And she flew off before King or Ginny could say anything.

Groans and unhappy shouts characterized the noise of the audience when they saw the final score: Tornados: 160, Harpies 70.

"The match is over," Ginny said to Keddle, flying over to her. "We're heading back to the changing rooms."

"OK," Keddle replied placidly, and she followed Ginny without question.

Their plans for retreating to the changing rooms were impeded the moment they landed. They immediately surrounded, first by the rest of their team, and then by the Tornados, and finally by the largest ever number of reporters.

"Let's just try and get past them," Ginny shouted so that she could be heard over all the noise. Keddle nodded, her eyes out of focus. Had she been hit with some sort of spell? People were pressing in on all sides, and the noise and blinding flashes of light were starting to make Ginny's head hurt. She knew the only chance of finding out what was wrong with Keddle was to get off the pitch.

By pushing hard against the swell of the crowd, and using her broom as a prod when that didn't work, Ginny was able to negotiate a path. As they drew nearer the changing rooms, Ginny dared to hope that they wouldn't be stopped. Almost the second she thought this someone tapped her on the shoulder. She turned around to tell them to shove off and found herself staring at a man not much taller than she was, with mousy brown hair and a squirrelly face.

"You're a lot shorter than I thought you'd be," she said before she could stop herself.

"And you're a lot tougher than I gave you credit for," Declan Fohn replied, holding out his hand to avoid being smacked in the face by Ginny's broom. "That was some excellent flying today, Miss Weasley. We haven't been properly introduced, of course, bout you obviously recognized me."

He held out his hand, wearing an oily smile.

Ginny didn't take it.

"I know far more about you than I care to," she said, checking to make sure she and Keddle hadn't been separated. "I don't have time for want-to-be Death Eaters."

"Death Eater? No. We have a difference of opinion, I see. I think it's a matter we need to discuss in a less boisterous environment, like over drinks."

Realizing that she had lost Keddle, Ginny didn't immediately register what Fohn said. She was frantically scanning the crowd, hoping that Keddle hadn't gone too far.

"What can you possibly think we have to discuss?" she asked, laughing incredulously. "I don't agree with your politics, and I certainly don't appreciate your insinuations - "

"A great many things to talk about then," Fohn said, his smile increasing again. "It would be a great opportunity to correct any misconceptions. I pride myself on having all the facts."

"Really? Then can you tell me where my Seeker went?"

Looking only slightly crestfallen, Fohn pointed at the changing rooms. They were at a considerable distance and it seemed unlikely that Keddle could have covered that distance in such a short amount of time. Ginny spent a moment or two scanning the crowd for Keddle's golden hair, but it wasn't there. Spotting the reporter in the corduroy suit, Ginny decided Fohn must have been right after all, and she hurried to the changing rooms, keen not to give the reporter time to start asking questions.

The noise of the crowd outside was muffled enough in the changing rooms that Ginny could almost hear herself think. Pulling the rubber band out of her hair, she started to call for Keddle, but decided against it; she wasn't sure that the daze Keddle had been in had lifted yet. It was best just to look for her.

Keddle was there, her back against the lockers, all trace of her inexplicable trance gone. She didn't notice Ginny because she was watching with wide-eyed fright as a man bore down on her, his wand held tightly at his side. He had is back to Ginny, but she knew at once that this was the stalker.

Moving as quickly and quietly as she could, Ginny pulled out her wand and took careful aim at his back. If she aimed carefully she could knock him out, but if she missed then all bets were off.

"Stupefy," she cried.

Her spell just missed. It ricocheted off the locker and flew into a tapestry of the Tornados latest league victory, ripping it to shreds. As the tattered remnants of the blue tapestry fell like rain, the stalker turned. This was the man she had seen on her first day back with the Harpies, the very one who had tried to attack her as she left that night, but the jagged scar that marred his otherwise handsome face was gone, replaced by an equally grotesque, lascivious expression.

"You're a troublemaker." He spoke in the gravelly voice she recognized from that night. "I don't want any trouble. I've spent too much time and effort to get here to have this end with trouble."

"Drop your wand, then, and let the Aurors take you quietly," Ginny said, letting her broom fall to the floor as she redoubled the grip on her wand. She hoped that Tougas and Rossi would come bursting in here any moment. They had set up security spells to detect just this sort of thing.

"Evangeline and I will be long gone before they show up," he said, confidently, reading Ginny's thoughts. "Their protections were weak. They detect concealment and disguise, and as you see I have shed mine for this happy occasion."

He retreated to stand beside Keddle, running his finger down her cheek. He whispered something to her that Ginny couldn't hear, but whatever he said made Keddle flinch. He ignored this, fishing around in his pocket for something.

"Don't touch her!" Ginny's voice was amplified by the cement walls. It startled Keddle, who tried to retreat, but was prevented doing so by the Full Body Bind curse that he cast upon her.

"Let me deal with her and then we'll have all the time in the world," he said, a loving caress in his voice. He jerked his thumb in Ginny's direction as he addressed Keddle.

Ginny took advantage of his momentary distraction to aim another Stunning spell. He deflected this one, and it hit the door of the changing rooms with a loud bang like that of a firecracker.

The noise made both Ginny and the madman pause, but he recovered first. Obviously realizing that such a noise would not go unnoticed, he seized Keddle's around the waist and started heading for the door. Immobilized, there was nothing she could do to resist.

"You're not going anywhere," Ginny said, blocking the exit, her wand raised. She had a decided advantage, because his wand was in the hand he was using to carry Keddle. She raised her wand to perform a Stunning spell that couldn't miss, but as she did he raised his left hand. Ginny had the briefest glimpse of a tiny vial before some sort of ghastly looking potion flew at her. She dodged the majority of it, smashing into the wall dropping her wand as she felt a burning sensation on her neck and a hissing sound in her ears.

It looked for a moment like the stalker's plan had worked, and he was going to be able to abduct Keddle, but Ginny, remembering clearly that look in his eyes, launched herself at him. She grabbed his robes and slowed his progress enough that he hadn't yet reached the door when it flew open.

Tougas and Rossi ran in just ahead of a whole crowd. Behind them were members from the two Quidditch teams and most of the reporters that had accosted the teams on the pitch.

"Stupefy," both Aurors roared, and their spells hit the stalker in the face. He toppled over backwards, releasing Keddle and knocking Ginny down with him.

As she struggled to free herself, she could make out the sounds of someone, Tougas she thought, freeing Keddle from the Body Bind Curse, The murmurs of voices in the corridor were undoubtedly passing along details of the scene to those who couldn't see.

"Here." Tougas held out his hand to help Ginny to her feet.

"Thanks," she said, looking down at the Stunned man lying prone on the floor. She had a sudden urge to kick him, hard, but was prevented doing so when something flew at her. It was Keddle.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you," she said, tears spilling down her cheeks as she hugged Ginny tightly. "I thought that he was going to . . . That he would get away . . . Thank you."

Ginny felt like she was suffocating under the weight of Keddle's tight embrace, and what was more her neck was starting to throb

"Eva, can you -"

"Oh my God," Keddle said loudly, pulling back on her own.

Her exclamation caught the attention of everyone in the vicinity, the closest of whom was Tougas. He paused in the act of propping his newly bound prisoner against a locker to look at Ginny and Keddle. His expression didn't change much.

"Rossi, get Adrasteia," he barked, coming over as Keddle took several steps back.

"What?" Ginny asked, feeling self-conscious because everyone was staring at her. She reached up to rub her neck and felt something sticky there. Holding her fingers up to her face, she expected to see blood, but what she saw was a grayish pasty substance.

"Some of the potion must have hit you," Keddle said, slightly hysterically.

"What potion?" Tougas barked, making Keddle jump. "What the hell happened here?"

"Stop shouting, damn it," Ginny said, staring at the strangely dead looking substance with a detached expression. "We're getting to what happened."

Both Tougas and Keddle looked at her like she was crazy, but Ginny felt perfectly fine. She was a little woozy, and a bit colder than she had been a few minutes ago, but knew that was just shock. She'd be fine in a few minutes.

Keddle started to tell Tougas what had happened. She, too, seemed to be in shock, because her voice was getting louder and softer, like a poorly tuned wireless . . .

" . . . Not as bad as it looks, as long as someone's got Essence of Dittany."

"There's some in my bag," Ginny said thickly. It sounded like both voices were coming from a very long way off. She heard Adrasteia use a summoning charm and next second felt a burning sensation on her neck worse than the first. It was this feeling that roused her from the stupor she'd sunk into.

"If I've said it once, I've said it a hundred times. Don't -"

" - Leave home without Dittany," Ginny finished. She blinked a few times. THe room seemed overly bright and it took a moment to see that she was lying on one of the benches. People were packed into the room, including every member of her family who had been at the game. Ginny automatically reached up to feel her neck, but Adrasteia pushed her hand away.

"It's going to take a few days to fully heal because it got into your system a bit, but if you keep applying the Dittany you'll be fine."

"Got into her system?" Molly asked, sounding scared and nervous. "What does that mean?"

"The potion that he used acts sort of like an infection," Adrasteia explained as she applied a bandage to Ginny's neck. "So we have to keep applying the Dittany to make sure it doesn't spread. It's nasty, but minimally dangerous if caught early as this has been. It also scorched several inches of your hair, Ginny, so I've had to cut that for good measure. We don't want to take any chances."

"No," Ginny agreed, feeling her hair. It was at least six inches shorter than it had been that morning. it was shorter than she could ever remember it being. James wouldn't like that. Panic-stricken, she sat up quickly, feeling her head spin. "Where's James?"

"He's here, and he's fine," Ron said from the back of the crowd, holding James high over the heads of the others so Ginny could see for herself. "D'you want him?"

"I'm sorry, Ginny. I'm so sorry," Keddle cried before Ginny could answer Ron. "None of this would have happened if I hadn't -"

"I'm fine, Eva, really," Ginny replied, feeling relieved that everyone was OK. "At least you don't have to worry about that nutter anymore. You do still have him, right?" she asked Tougas.

"Course we do," he said in his usual impatient manner. "You just had to interfere again, didn't you?"

"Interfere?" Ginny jumped to her feet. "You should be thanking me for not having to deal with _another_ missing person. We all know how good you are at solving those cases!"

"If she hadn't acted, I'd probably be dead, or worse now," Keddle said, standing beside Ginny.

Looking livid, Tougas turned his back, muttering under his breath. Ginny felt at that moment like she could hex him. She reached in her pocket for her wand, but it wasn't there. Then she remembered that she had dropped it by the door when she had hit the wall. Looking in that direction she saw that someone had picked it up: Declan Fohn.

"How did he get in here?" she hissed to Keddle.

"Who?" Keddle asked, following Ginny's gaze. When she spotted Fohn she gripped Ginny's arm tightly. "Who is that?"

"A ferret," Ginny replied through gritted teeth. She wouldn't put it past him to have bought his way in. She marched over to him, holding out her hand. "Are you going to take a page from this creep's book -" She jerked her thumb at the stalker " - and start stalking me now?"

"Not at all. I merely wanted to return your wand, and ask that you reconsider my invitation."

"No."

"I'm not asking you on a date, if that's what you're worried about," Fohn said, his greasy smile in place again. "Merely an opportunity to further discuss our differences of opinion."

"There's nothing to discuss. My wand please?"

"How about lunch, then? Tuesday?" he asked as he handed over her wand.

"If you're hoping on gaining more supporters by appearing to befriend me, you're sadly deluded, Mr. Fohn."

"No, no, nothing like that. Wednesday?"

"You're not going to drop this are you?"

"No, and I can be very persistent," Fohn replied, continuing to wear his horrible smile.

"Merlin," Ginny replied. Then, knowing she would regret it, she relented, "Fine. The Leaky Cauldron, noon on Tuesday. I'll give you thirty minutes."


	7. Chapter Six: Derailing Declan

"It was mental to agree to meet with him, wasn't it?" Ginny said yet again to Ron and Hermione as they finished their dinner on Monday evening. "I must have only agreed because I was still a little out of it from that potion, right?"

"Probably," Ron said, watching Hermione as she fed James. "You should send him an owl straightaway and cancel. Don't you think, Hermione?"

"Whatever you think is best," she replied offhandedly. She was smiling indulgently at James as he waved a spoon around and was barely listening to the conversation.

Ordinarily the fact that Hermione didn't want to express her opinion wouldn't have given Ginny cause for concern. Perhaps she thought it best not to give her advice. What troubled Ginny was the fact that Hermione hadn't been herself since Christmas. Sometimes, like when she was around James, she seemed happy, but the rest of the time she was moody and irritable. At Christmas Hermione had blamed it on overwork, but she couldn't keep using that as an excuse. The proposal that she had been working on had been brought before the Committee in January and her workload had reduced significantly since then, but her irritability had been increasing at an alarming rate. Ron seemed especially susceptible to Hermione's bad mood, and spent a lot of time trying to placate her, but he wasn't having much success. Ginny debated for a moment about saying all this, but decided that she preferred to avoid a row at the moment.

"If Hedwig wasn't off again, I'd have her deliver a letter to Fohn straight away, saying I've changed my mind," Ginny said after a moment. Hedwig was frequently gone for days and weeks at a time. She was undoubtedly searching for Harry

"You can borrow Pig if you want," Ron offered, still focusing on Hermione. He looked tense, as though she was a bomb that he was expecting to go off at any moment. "It's best to let him know as soon as possible."

"Yeah. But . . . " Ginny fell silent, thinking.

It had been like this for two days. Every time she had decided what to do about Fohn, she would think of a reason to do just the opposite. It could turn out to be a huge mistake, this meeting, but what if she could somehow persuade him of how ridiculous his campaign was? It was a long shot, but one that would be worth it if it worked. She tried, yet again, to explain this to Ron, who couldn't see her reasoning.

"He's a nutter, the same as that Orion Chase that was after Keddle," Ron said, giving her his full attention at last. "I'm telling you, Ginny, you're not going to persuade him of anything. He just wants a couple good photos of the two of you together so he can say you support his cause."

"I don't though."

"You haven't said so publicly, and if you start appearing with him people will think you do. They might even think that all the rubbish he's been putting about about you and Harry is true."

"Dada?" James asked, holding out his arms to Ron, interrupting Ginny's retort.

This was not the first time that James had said this since the day of the match. Ginny supposed that it was natural for him to say such a thing, given how often Ron and Hermione were around, but it tugged at her heartstrings to hear him say so, aside from the sheer awkwardness of it. Hermione in particular was angered by it. Her smile dissolved into a scowl.

"_Uncle_," Ron corrected, emphasizing the world. "Uncle, not dad. Er . . . What was I saying?"

"You were trying to convince your sister that she's wrong to meet with Fohn," Hermione snapped, jumping out of her chair. "You're wasting your breath though, because she's obviously made up her mind."

"I have not," Ginny replied, also getting to her feet.

"Oh, Ginny, come off it." Hermione rolled her eyes as she handed James back to Ginny. "D'you really want us to believe that you're letting Hedwig's absence dictate your decision? How many owls do the Harpies have? Or if you don't want to use them you could use Pigwidgeon, Hermes or Errol."

"I -" Ginny started, unsure of what she was going to say.

"No matter how many times you say you only agreed to meet with Fohn because you were suffering the effects of that potion, you won't be able to make it true. You're only agonizing over this decision because you're clinging to the past, too scared to move on."

"The past has nothing to do with it," Ginny said, reflexively tightening her hold on James. The past, of course, meant Harry.

"Leave it alone," Ron advised Hermione. She glared at him and continued as though he hadn't said a word.

"Have you forgotten what happened with Hugh at Christmas? You took one step towards moving on and then retreated back into your shell, leaning on the crutch that is Harry. Don't you think it's time you accept that he's probably dead?"

Ginny felt winded, as though Hermione had punched her in the stomach. She had to clutch the counter for support.

"Enough," Ron said. He, too, stood up, towering over both of them, and holding out his hands to each, as though preventing them from charging at each other.

"I think you should go," Ginny said, turning away as she buried her face in James's hair.

"Yes. We have been spending far too much time here," Hermione replied impatiently and she left the room. They heard her open the closet door and pull out her jacket.

"I'm sorry," Ron said, putting his hand on Ginny's shoulder. "She doesn't really mean that. She's just -"

"Don't make excuses for her. Just go home and get some sleep . . . or whatever. Maybe she'll be nicer if she's well rested."

"Doubtful," Ron muttered, but after squeezing Ginny's shoulder he followed Hermione. Seconds later the door slammed behind them.

As she watched James play with the rubber duck her father had bought him for Christmas, Ginny thought about the conversation. She couldn't understand what happened. One minute they were enjoying dinner, and then out of nowhere it was like someone had flipped a switch and Hermione seemed to come to the boil, full of spite and anger. Until this evening, Ginny never would have thought Hermione could be so callous. She decided she needed to find out what was going on with her, but it would be difficult, because neither Ron nor Hermione would talk about what was going on with them.

By the time Ginny put James to bed she could no longer avoid thinking about Hermione's last question. It was echoing in the corners of her mind, and in response what felt like every possible memory she'd ever shared with Harry was floating to the forefront of her mind. As she set the dishes to wash an image of the table covered in long scrolls of parchment and Harry trying to eat and read at the same time. While she tidied up the sitting room, she remembered lying on the sofa and Harry rubbing her feet. She paused in the act of toweling her hair dry after her shower to recall a time when she stood in this exact spot with Harry kissing her neck, his stubble tickling her skin. She reached up to touch her neck, catching sight of her ring in the mirror. She stared at it for several long seconds, thinking about what Hermione said. The same thought had passed through her mind on occasion, but she still wasn't sure she could accept the finality.

"For Merlin's sake," she said firmly, shaking her head and leaving the room. What she needed was a good night's sleep.

When she crawled into bed ten minutes later, Ginny squeezed her eyes tightly shut and tried to clear her mind, but almost at once her eyes snapped open again and she stared at the patch of light on her ceiling. She twisted her ring, as she so often did when she was nervous, but without consciously intending to do so, she slipped it off and stared at it as it shone in the light. It was the first time she'd taken it off since Harry had given it to her all those months ago. That thought alone almost made Ginny put it back on, but instead, taking a deep breath, she set it on the bedside cabinet.

"Mental," she said and rolled onto her back.

She didn't sleep well at all and was up at the first light of dawn. The ring was still where she had left it. Ginny picked it up and started to slide it onto her finger, but stopped. Was she really delusional for daring to think that all hope was not lost?

The answer to that question wasn't going to come to her that morning, but Ginny decided that perhaps Hermione had a point, she needed to think realistically. So instead of putting the ring on again, she pulled its box out of her drawer and put the ring inside it, taking another moment to stare at it before she snapped the box shut. The sound was deafening.

It was hard, holding to her decision, but Ginny managed it, though she kept rubbing her finger, something that her mother notices. She was gratefull that Molly did nothing more than open her eyes a little wider when she noticed Ginny was without it, the last thing Ginny wanted was to have a long drawn out conversation. She supposed Molly must have thought she was starting to move on though, because she winked suggestively as Ginny and Tougas were heading out the door.

"What was all that about?" he asked as they headed down the stairs, careful to avoid the packed boxes that the Cavils had stacked in the hall again.

"What?" Ginny asked, feeling happy now that she saw the Cavils were actually moving out. Hopefully her new neighbour would be a lot more cheerful.

"Your mother's wink?" Tougas said impatiently. "She's not getting ideas about us again, is she?"

"Probably," Ginny replied, pushing the door open and swallowing a mouthful of fresh air. "But don't worry, I know you're in love with Briony. Asked her out yet?"

He scowled.

"I can tell you how to do it if you need help," she continued cheekily, reaching up to tuck her hair behind her ear. She wasn't used to such short hair (it barely brushed her shoulders now).

Pausing mid-stride, Tougas's scowl faltered. Ginny was certain he looked guilty.

"What's wrong?"

"Wrong?" he asked gruffly. "Nothing's wrong aside from the fact that you're making me late again, Weasley."

"Bollocks. You were thinking something just then," she asked, jogging to keep up with him as he lengthened his strides. "What was it?"

"Just surprised to see you're not wearing the ring," he admitted. And then, as though he needed to change topics as quickly as possible he said, "You're meeting with Fohn today?"

"Yes. Why?"

They turned into the street and continued walking at a brisk pace. Ginny was sure that Tougas wasn't going to answer her question, but she didn't want to let it drop.

"Why? What aren't you telling me?"

"He's not dangerous, if that's what you're thinking." Tougas stopped walking and Ginny walked into him. "He's not dangerous in the usual sense, anyway, but he does have the uncanny knack of being able to twist anything to his benefit. Be careful what you say."

Ginny nodded, wondering if Tougas was channeling Ron.

The usual crowd that hung around the stadium was larger today than it had been since early December, and they had to struggle to get through it. People pressed in on all sides, shouting questions, most of which had to do with Keddle's stalker. Ginny took Tougas's earlier advice and didn't answer any questions.

"Damn it," Tougas said loudly as they neared the entrance. He put his hand on Ginny's arm to stop her.

"What?" she asked, annoyed that he was going to hold her up when she was feet away from the door. She turned in time to see him scan the crowd. The guilty expression he had worn earlier flashed across his face for a moment, and was quickly replaced by his usual scowl.

"Wait here," he said, offering no further explanation before wading into the crowd.

"Bloody hell!" Ginny rolled her eyes in disgust and watched Tougas pull someone out of the crowd and off to the side. It was the same reporter who had overheard James call Ron Dada, and the two men were having what appeared to be a heated discussion, Tougas seemed to be the more flustered of the pair. Despite herself, Ginny was impressed by the reporter. He didn't look at all intimidated by Tougas though the latter could have snapped him in two like a twig.

Ginny made no secret of the fact that she was watching the two men, and after a moment the reporter saw her. He smiled and waved. Tougas snatched his hand out of the air and moved closer in a clearly threatening manner, momentarily blocking Ginny from his view as he finished his conversation. When he returned he was muttering furiously under his breath.

"What was all that about?" Ginny asked as they walked through the doors.

"What?" Tougas asked, looking back distractedly. "Oh that was nothing. Some stupid reporter wanting to be paid off for holding his tongue about your son."

"Oh?" Maybe that reporter wasn't so impressive after all. "Thank you, I appreciate it."

"Yeah?" His lip curled and he looked doubtful, yet resigned. "Listen, Weasley, there's something we need to talk about. I wanted to do it before we left this morning, but . . . Come in here a moment."

He pulled her into the gift shop supply room and waved his wand. The lock clicked.

"If people see us coming out of here you know they're going to talk," Ginny said, half-amused and slightly squeamish at the idea.

"That's unimportant. What is important is that you're getting a new downstairs neighbour. Some elderly chap named Peter Thomas, no relation to Dean, before you ask. We've checked him out. He's a Muggle, and he's clean."

"You had to pull me into a cupboard to tell me this?"

"The world doesn't need to know that, nor do we want it being spread about that as of month end I will no longer be able to escort you to work every day.

"Why?" Ginny asked, startled.

"You finally get what you want after all these months, and you're not jumping for joy?"

"Yes, I am, on the inside. But it's all rather sudden, isn't it?"

"No, it's not. I just haven't said anything about it. Lestrange is rearing her head again. All the break-ins," Tougas explained when Ginny looked at him in confusion. "Now that we have Chase safely locked up in Azkaban I've been told to investigate these break-ins."

And about time, Ginny thought, but didn't say as much because she had more pressing questions, like why things were happening at this precise moment. If they still thought that she was Lestrange's target because of Harry, and they thought Lestrange was behind the break-ins, then it would make sense that they would be increasing security. Unless they were and didn't want to tell her.

"This Thomas bloke," she started slowly, chewing her lip. "Is he really a Muggle, or does he only pretend to be one some of the time?"

"What kind of ridiculous question is that?" Tougas asked loudly. "He's just a Muggle, an old man whose wife died. He's moving out of his house in Hampstead."

"OK, OK," she said, putting up her hand. "It was just a thought."

"Well get that thought out of your head, then." He had already opened the door. "I'll see you tomorrow."

Ginny had the distinct impression that Tougas wanted to get away from her as quickly as he could, and would have Disapparated from inside the tiny room if he'd been able. She stepped out after him, and watched his retreating back with a furrowed brow. Something had changed since the match. She didn't believe this sudden urgency in the Lestrange case. There was something he wasn't telling her.

"I thought you would never get here," Keddle said, intruding on Ginny's thoughts. She was wearing a wide smile, too wide to be natural.

"I'm not late, am I?"

"No. Where's your ring?"

"At home." Ginny stuffed her hand into her pocket as they started down the corridor. She had expected the question, and had the simplest answer ready, and would hopefully be able to divert the other questions. "How are you doing, Eva? What was it like being back home."

"Thanks to you I'm very well. Being back home was fantastic. Well, you know, having my own things around. It's just -"

"Different?" Ginny suggested. She couldn't pretend to imagine what Keddle had gone through, but she remembered enough how she couldn't stay at Harry's flat after what happened with Dudley. Was Keddle experiencing something similar?

"Different?" Keddle tried the word on, nodding after a moment. She contemplated it for a moment longer, before saying, "I talked to Rossi. He says with the statements you and I have given they're going to be able to put Chase away for a long time. That's good news, isn't it?"

"Absolutely."

"He wants to go over your statement at lunch."

"I can't. I've got that meeting with Fohn today," Ginny replied, pushing open the door and entering the changing rooms. "We can do it after practice."

The best thing about practice in Ginny's opinion was that it drove everything but Quidditch from the mind. They spent the first few hours reviewing their errors from the Tornados game, and then finally headed out onto the pitch to do some flying. Ginny was happy to think of nothing other than scoring goals, and diving opponents. She didn't have to think about what other people were saying, or that they might be holding secret discussions about her.

Ginny's euphoria was diminished, however, as she watched the others head off to lunch as she pulled her jacket on and headed outside . Now the meeting with Fohn was upon her, she was once again wondering if she would have done better to back out.

The Leaky Cauldron wasn't particularly crowded but it was dimly lit compared to the dazzling sun outside. Several wizards sat in a corner, sucking on long pipes that were filling the whole place with a truly horrible stench that reminded Ginny very much of Mundungus Fletcher. She had to pinch her nose closed as she walked past, trying to spot Fohn. She only noticed him when he waved at her.

"Ah, Miss Weasley, right on time," he said, smiling widely, swivelling in his stool and almost forgetting that Hannah Abbott was there. "I've taken the liberty of ordering you a Butterbeer."

"I don't drink it," Ginny said, remaining on her feet as she pushed the bottle away. She'd lost her liking for the stuff ever since Dudley had spiked hers with that potion. "Water is fine, thanks Hannah."

Once Ginny had her drink in hand, Fohn, obviously realizing that she wasn't going to sit beside him at the bar, led the way to a table in the very corner of the room.

"You seem pleased. Your training is going well, I take it?" he said, taking a swig of his Butterbeer.

"As well as we can hope for."

"Your performance on Saturday was impressive. It's too bad that your Seeker had such a rough go of it. How is she doing?"

"As well as can be expected, given the circumstances," Ginny replied, taking another sip of her water. "You didn't ask me here to talk about Quidditch though, did you?"

"No."

"I'll remind you, Mr. Fohn that I have limited time and would appreciate that you get to your point."

"I see that you are no longer wearing your engagement ring. That is a new development since we last met." He was unfazed by her curt answers.

"So?" Ginny was starting to lose her patience. "That's not relevant to this meeting either."

"Isn't it?"

"No, it isn't. I'm not going to talk about Harry either, and if that's why you've asked me here -"

"I asked you here because I think there are a great many things we have in common," Fohn said, dropping some of his smooth tone.

"We have nothing in common!"

"We both care about our families, and have been sadly disappointed by them. You with Mr. Potter, I by my sister, Briony."

"You don't know anything about - What?" Ginny stared at Fohn, open-mouthed. Briony wasn't a very common name. Could he really mean the very Briony that she had been teasing Tougas about not four hours earlier?

"Yes," Fohn said, his oily smile faltering for the first time. "My dear sister who decided to publicly disgrace our family."

Ginny set her glass on the table and leaned in, despite herself. She had never been a fan of Briony Wright's, but she couldn't imagine that there was anything disgraceful about her, apart from the fact that she was related to Delores Umbridge . . . which meant that Fohn was as well. This meeting was just getting better and better!

"You're related to Umbridge?" Ginny asked loudly, feeling her blood boil.

"Indeed, I am." Fohn eyed her warily. This time he didn't smile, and Ginny was visited by the idea that he just might have been telling the truth about how he felt for his family.

"Are you trying to get me to hate you? Because you're doing a damn good job."

Fohn laughed. "No, no. Merely trying to tell you that we have something in common. My sister abandoned her family as well"

Something in common? He was related to Umbridge, yet he was calling Briony a disgrace? And he thought that he was going to get on her good side by saying that Briony's defection from a family that included Umbridge, and Harry's disappearance were one and the same? There were never two situations less alike.

"My sister always thought she was above her family." HIs voice was dripping with contempt. "She was ashamed of who she was, so she decided to try to pretend she was someone else. She started causing trouble when my Aunt Delores was at Hogwarts, took up with that Bredan Tougas, and has been lost to us ever since."

"I'd have done the same, you know. It must have been murder living in that house with your aunt running amok." Ginny took another sip of her drink, thinking about what Fohn had just said. A thought occurred to her: they sounded almost like Sirius and his brother Regulus, one brother towing the family line, the other rebelling against it. Was the whole W.A.N.D. movement an attempt to please his parents?

"You started a hate group to make up for what you think is Briony's monstrous betrayal?"

"Oh now . . . Nothing about what we do promotes hate."

"Come on. It's all in the name. 'Nobility Debasement?" Ginny asked, with a laugh. "You're 'promoting' purebloods over all others, like my son. Come to think of it, I'm surprised that you want to be seen with me, a blood traitor of the highest order."

"We're just hoping to bring back some of the old prestige of -"

"At the expense of other people! You cannot honestly believe that I would help you in any way with whatever your plans are, Mr. Fohn. Not when you share such similar ideals to the Death Eaters, and I've had enough experience of them."

For the first time Fohn seemed to lose heart, telling Ginny that she was close to the truth. She watched him run his finger along the side of his bottle for a moment, feeling disgusted, and stupid that she hadn't listened to Ron in the first place.

"I've got to get back," she said, downing the last of her water.

Fohn didn't get up as Ginny slid out of her seat and headed for the bar to say goodbye to Hannah. She had barely got two words out however when a large group of people entered from the Diagon Alley entrance to the pub. Almost at once, Fohn was at Ginny's side, putting an arm tightly around her shoulder, holding tight when she tried to shake him off.

"Ladies, gentlemen, thank you for being so punctual." He had once again resumed his public persona. "I have asked you to join Miss Weasley and myself here at this historic pub to show you what cost our waning ancestral pride brings us. Miss. Weasley, from one of the oldest pureblood families has had her fair share of troubles, as you are well aware. But she's been able to overcome it, and we can learn by her example."

Her eyes felt like they were going to pop out of her head, she was so angry. At last Ginny managed to free herself. After everything that she had just said. Her refusal to help him was unequivocal, and he had ignored absolutely everything. No, he was out and out lying, trying to spread the idea that she was going to be the new mascot for his cause. But she was not going to let him get away with it.

"I have already told you, Mr. Fohn that I don't support you or your cause, I don't believe you are bringing anything but hate into this world, and I will not help you to do that in any way. Never! In fact, after what you've just done, I've decided to do everything in my power to make sure you can't spread your poison."

Ginny walked past a crowd of close to a dozen reporters, watching as they frantically tried to record everything that had just happened. So Ron had been right again, who knew?


	8. Chapter Seven: Dimentichi's

Ginny didn't want to return to practice all fired up, so she stopped in the yard that separated the Leaky Cauldron from Diagon Alley. Leaning against the wall she tried to perform some of the breathing exercises the team used to relax before a match, but each time she attempted to focus she would see the smug look on Fohn's face. It was difficult to master the urge to run back into the pub and kick, punch, or hex him (or maybe all three), especially because she was unsure who she was angrier at, Fohn for being a git, or herself for knowing what he was capable of and not being prepared.

She was still struggling with her anger when the pub door opened and the squirrelly faced reporter appeared, tucking a bottle of Ogden's Old Firewhisky into his suit pocket as he walked. His attempted blackmail of her by way of Tougas made him about as welcome as a Doxy infestation. Ginny regained her full height and pulled out her wand, a movement that caught his attention.

"Miss . . . Weasley?" he asked uncertainly, looking around the alley in a twitchy manner as though afraid someone was about to jump out and attack him.

"Are you following me now? Hoping to get me alone so you could persuade me to hand over gold in exchange for your silence? Yes, Tougas told me all about that," she said angrily, perhaps more angrily than she would have done had she not already been irate about Fohn. "You're a disgrace."

"Wait," he said urgently when she made a move to Disapparate. He hurried over, frantically searching his pockets for quill and parchment but didn't seem to have any. This, in Ginny's experience, was a first, but as he drew closer and she saw his totally woebegone appearance she was hardly surprised at his disorganization. He looked worse than he had done on Saturday at the Quidditch stadium, the last time she'd seen him close up. His suit was wrinkled as though he'd been sleeping in it, his hair disheveled and in need of a wash, and he could have done with a shave. His eyes were red-rimmed and Ginny guessed this was because of his drinking, but she couldn't smell any alcohol on his breath.

"I've got to be back at work in a minute," she said.

"I won't keep you then," he said, looking disappointed. "I only wanted to tell you that I don't plan to write anything about your son."

"Oh?" Ginny folded her arms across her chest, still watching him warily. Whatever Tougas had said had obviously been effective. She would have to thank him later.

"He's almost a year old now, right?"

"Nearly that, yes," Ginny replied after a moment. "But why do you care if you're not writing anything about him?"

He had no answer for this question, though he appeared to be thinking of one. Ginny took a step closer and raised her wand threateningly.

"Don't get any ideas about my son, all right? I'm not above hexing you."

He recoiled, looking stunned. His hand went again to the bottle in his pocket.

"I won't write a word, I promise you," he said.

"Good." She stowed her wand in her pocket and took several steps back, preparing to Disapparate at last. "And it might be a little early for alcohol, don't you think?"

He redoubled his grip on the bottle even as he nodded his head. It was all Ginny could do not to grab the bottle and smash it. She held this urge in check as well and finally Disapparated.

"How'd it go?" Keddle asked the minute Ginny hurried through the door of the changing rooms. She had returned with a minute to spare. The entire team crowded around to listen.

"It was a meeting with Fohn," Ginny replied. "How do you think it went?"

"He didn't try to pull anything?" Gwenog asked, idly pulling a strand of hair from her robes.

"That would be a first," Dylan stated.

"It would have been, if he hadn't invited a whole troupe of reporters without telling me." Ginny quickly explained what had happened.

"That slimy git," Gwenog stated, when she was done. "He has some nerve!"

"I'm surprised you didn't hex him into next week," King added. "That would have made for an interesting end to the meeting."

As they headed back onto the pitch the others were happily contemplating what they would have done to Fohn had they been in Ginny's place. She didn't participate but kept turning the meeting over in her mind. In some ways she thought her teammates were right and that she should have used a very good hex on him. he certainly deserved it. But as the afternoon wore on she began to feel more positively about what she had done. If she had hexed him and left people would draw their own conclusions. Maybe, just maybe, what she had said would convince some people of Fohn's true nature and they would withdraw their support. It was a long shot, but one that would be definitely worth it in the end.

Ginny didn't have much opportunity to worry over her actions once they started into their afternoon training. Her mind was once again filled with thoughts of Quaffles, Bludgers and opposing team members. She didn't even have time to realize that they had practiced an hour longer than usual, though she certainly felt it when Gwenog blew her whistle for the last time. All seven players reached the ground and trudged to the changing rooms.

"I think we'll have this one in the bag," Keddle said as they changed out of their robes and back into their street clothes. "I know Lee, their Seeker, from school and she's a pushover."

"Yeah," Ginny agreed.

It was common knowledge that Lee, who played for the Keddlemere Kestrals was a horrible Seeker. How she ever made it onto a professional team was beyond everyone. No, in this game it was the Harpies Keeper and Chasers who would have to have to be on spectacular form. The Kestrals had a very strong front three, who weren't above playing dirty to win.

"No more late nights, ladies," Gwenog replied, having overheard what Keddle said. "We're going to clean the pitch with them, s'long as we don't have any other dips in performance."

Her comment opened up a tactical discussion that became rather enthusiastic. It promised to go on a long time when Gwenog pulled out her model of the pitch and started plotting players. Everyone crowded around, adding their input. Ginny was just showing them how she thought they could use a Hawkshead attack to the greatest effect when Jordana called her name.

"What Jor?" she asked, not looking up, as she used her wand to line up the tiny models of the two teams.

"Rossi has been out here waiting for you for twenty minutes."

"Damn!" She had completely forgotten that Keddle had arranged for him to come after their training was done. Looking down at the tiny models of Quidditch players she debated asking him to come another time, but a voice that sounded very much like her mother's reminded her sternly that he had come all this way. Sighing she stowed her wand in her bag. "See you."

Rossi was leaning casually against the wall, reading the Evening Prophet. He didn't seem at all bothered by having to wait for so long.

"So sorry, I completely forgot you were coming tonight." She said smiling apologetically.

"Not to worry," he replied, closing the paper. "I suspected that with everything that happened this afternoon I'd have a long wait. You created quite the firestorm with your treatment of Fohn, you know."

"Did I?" Ginny asked, eyeing the newspaper warily. She wasn't sure she wanted to know how a reporter thought things had happened.

"Yeah, you did," he said with a little laugh. "Caused quite a stir, it did. The Prophet and the WWN have been drowning in owls all afternoon and, from what I hear, Gabriel Mercer has decided to devote a whole show to what he's calling 'the great divide."

"What?" Ginny asked slowly, cringing slightly. How had everyone found out about what had happened so quickly? And Mercer was bound to blow things out of proportion again.

"Someone who was in that pub today, whether a reporter or someone else I don't know, sent an owl to the WWN about what happened, and they've been talking about it all afternoon. Some people think you're a hero, you know." He smiled roguishly as they turned into the room the team used for their press conferences.

"They're wrong, then," she muttered, sinking into a chair near the door. "I was just sick of his rubbish. Acting like I was working with him!"

"You weren't alone," Rossi said, smiling and showing off his dazzlingly white teeth. "More than half of the letters they read on the WWN were in your favor. They're already talking about people rallying behind you."

"They were?" Ginny asked flatly. She was still not certain how she felt about this news. To tell Fohn where to go was one thing, but she hadn't done what she had done because she wanted to be some sort of spokesperson. She had only wanted to be left alone, and perhaps to give him his comeuppance for being a git. On the other hand though, she reminded herself as she chewed her lip, she had hoped that people would stop blindly following him. Maybe this was the beginning.

"Tougas wasn't pleased about what you did, though," Rossi said, interrupting her thoughts.

"When is he ever happy about anything?" Ginny asked. Now she could see a positive outcome of her meeting with Fohn she was starting to feel a lot better.

"He seems particularly tetchy about you, you know." Rossi reached into his robes and pulled out a roll of parchment. "Any idea why that is?"

"None. He's just always been that much of a git around me. If I had to guess though, I'd say he thinks I challenge him too much. He doesn't like challenge, Tougas."

"That's too bad. I always like a good challenge. I find it to be an excellent motivator" Rossi spoke in a voice dripping in innuendo and finished with another of the suggestive winks he'd been throwing about so often at the beginning of the Quidditch season.

"Are you trying to flirt with me?" she asked point blank, fixing a stern expression on her face, though she felt amused rather than annoyed. It was hard to keep it there, however, when she saw Rossi's smile falter. He seemed to lose some of his casual grace as well, fumbling the parchment he'd just taken out of the pocket of his jacket.

"No . . . Not really. Um . . . " He spread the roll of parchment out and magicked it into the air. Ginny watched him curiously, sure he'd never been this flustered before. She opened her mouth to ask why, but suddenly remembered the conversation she'd overheard he and Tougas having in December. Was this the reason? "We're here to talk about Eva - Miss. Keddle."

"Right."

When she didn't contradict him, Rossi regained some of his composure.

"I haven't had much opportunity to talk to her since Saturday, but she looks like she's doing well," he said.

"She does. I have to wonder how much of that is an act, though."

Ginny still firmly believed that Keddle was hiding most of what she was going through. She was still very jumpy, and very reluctant to leave each night, a contradictory reaction given how she'd been going on about how great it was to have her flat back. Ginny explained all of this to Rossi.

"It does take time," he agreed, frowning. "Personally, I think she would have done better to find a new flat, but . . . There's only so much we can do."

He was playing with the edge of the parchment as he spoke, but the way his frown deepened, Ginny could see that he was genuinely troubled by Keddle's current predicament. It was all she could do to prevent her jaw dropping. The flirtatious Rossi she knew how to deal with, that was just part of his nature, but she'd never guessed he got this involved in his cases. She leaned her arm against the top of the chair and supported her chin, seeing this man she thought she'd known for five years in a new light.

"He's definitely going to stay in Azkaban, isn't he?" she asked finally, deciding not to comment on Keddle's move. She was very much on Keddle's side in this debate.

"He's still awaiting trial, but we're pretty confident they're going to throw away his wand after they lock him in there. We need to get through this first, though." Rossi hitched up the parchment, and Ginny only now realized that it was her statement from Saturday. "It's fairly straightforward. We'll go through this together, and make any changes necessary. Once it's complete to our satisfaction then I'll have you sign and you'll be done."

"OK."

In all the time she'd known Rossi he'd always been a flirt and consequently, Ginny had never considered that he might be good at his job. She was surprised by how thorough he was in his investigation. What she thought would take ten or fifteen minutes at most, stretched into three or four times that length as he pressed her for every detail to ensure that they hadn't missed anything that Chase could later use to secure his release. She had expected that this task, whatever the length, would be weary and would stretch on into infinity, but it seemed like no time at all had passed when he stood up, rolled up the parchment and announced that they were done, she was in shock.

"That's it?" she asked, also standing. For some reason she felt strangely jittery.

"That's it," he said, extending his hand.

She felt discombobulated and for several long seconds she didn't hold out her own hand to shake his, but rather stared at Rossi as though she was seeing him for the first time, with his olive colored skin and dark eyes. He was good-looking, she'd never denied that, but why now was she suddenly affected by it?

Only when Rossi started to retract his hand did Ginny come to her senses and hastily hold out her own.

"I'll send you an owl if there's anything else we need, but I doubt there will be."

"Thanks," she said, watching him walk to the door. Just as he started to open it she suddenly blurted out, "D'you want to have dinner on Saturday?"

The minute the words were out Ginny wanted to take them back, considering a million reasons as to why this was a bad idea. For one, she knew very little about him, besides the fact that he was a habitual flirt. What if he had a girlfriend already? Wouldn't she look the prat then?

Rossi had his back to her so she was deprived of his initial reaction, but when he turned he was smiling in his usual roguish manner.

"I didn't know you were this tricksy, Ginny," he said. "Lecturing me on a little harmless flirting when you had this up your sleeve.'

"I didn't have an agenda, I promise you."

But Rossi was still smiling, looking much more like himself, with the confident swagger.

"I know the perfect place."

Ginny didn't know if her lack of nerves had to do with the fact that she was the one who asked Rossi out, or if it was just confidence that she wouldn't experience a repeat of her meeting with Fohn, but she found that she was looking forward to the date much more than she would have thought on Tuesday evening. She even wondered if her own anticipation might have been heightened because she had told no one about it. Ron and Hermione hadn't stopped by all week, and she wasn't fool enough to mention this to her mother because Molly would blow it out of proportion. One simple dinner and she'd probably be picking out china patterns. Who needed that? So when she asked if her mother could take James for the night she said she only wanted a night to herself.

She might be looking forward to her date, but Ginny was most definitely not looking forward to the time it would take away from James. She already hated that Quidditch practice took so much of her time because she knew there was loads that she was missing, a guilt that weighed on her more heavily as James's first birthday approached. To try and combat that guilt, she spent much of Saturday morning with her son, following him around with arms outstretched as he continued his race to learn to walk. Several times he managed a few tottering steps without support before falling on his bottom. As she watched him pull himself up, Ginny couldn't quite believe that a year had passed since Adrasteia had handed James to her wrapped in his swaddling and with the pronouncement that he looked exactly like Harry.

A second wave of guilt washed over her at the thought of Harry. Not twenty-four hours after she'd accepted that it was time to stop wearing her ring she was making dates, and with someone that Harry had known and worked with no less! These thoughts made her insides squirm and more than once Ginny thought she might do better to cancel. Each time she thought of either writing a letter or stopping to see Rossi at the Ministry, however, she was visited by a strong anger that she hadn't felt even the week before, an anger directed at Harry for leaving, again. She didn't like to think that Hermione was right, but if she was and Harry was not coming back, Ginny couldn't wait forever. And if he was out there somewhere, then . . . Well, she didn't know what, then, only that everyone was right, she couldn't wait around for someone who might never come back.

By lunchtime James had tired himself and Ginny out. She had difficulty getting him to eat because he was so cranky. After ten minutes in which he cried a lot, and spit up more than he ate, she conceded defeat and lifted him out of his high chair, intending on putting him in his crib. She stopped in the sitting room to grab Gryffin, the stuffed Gryffindor lion that her father had bought her when she was young and that James had claimed as his own. As she straightened up she saw movement on the street below: Tougas was making his way slowly up the sidewalk with an elderly man. This, Ginny guessed, must be her new neighbor.

"Dada?" James said, pointing as the two men entered the courtyard.

"No, no, Jay," she replied casually. He'd started saying that around every man he met. It was a little embarrassing.

The two men were in the middle of the courtyard when Tougas looked up. Seeing Ginny he beckoned for her to come down. She shook her head, not wanting to bundle James up and head outside for just a few minutes, especially when he was already so irritable. Tougas was insistent though so, muttering under her breath, Ginny headed for the door. She decided not to bother grabbing their coats. Whatever Tougas wanted, he could tell her once he was inside the building.

Mr. Thomas looked to be about a hundred. He didn't walk with a cane but shuffled along and Ginny thought he might do best if he got one. Maybe she should give him old Auntie Muriel's, then the old crone wouldn't be able to use it to whack everyone in the shins.

A chilly gust of wind filled the entrance as Tougas and Mr. Thomas at last reached the door and pulled it open. Ginny turned away to shield James from the worst of the cold, but he was curious about the new arrivals and craned his neck over her shoulder to see. This was the downside of having a large family, Ginny thought irritably, as she adjusted James's weight again so that he didn't fall, people were constantly picking him up so he assumed every new arrival was going to do so.

"Blimey, it's cold out there," Mr. Thomas said after Tougas had made introductions. His voice cracked as he spoke, and his bones felt extremely brittle to Ginny when they shook hands, even so she had a feeling he was stronger than he looked. He also seemed genuinely amused by James's bid to free himself from his mother's arms, a reaction that made Mr. Thomas more favorable to Ginny. She could tell already that he was going to be a much better neighbor than the Cavils had been, not that it took much!

"James, no," she said when he stretched out his arms towards Mr. Thomas.

"It's all right." Mr. Thomas held out his arms at once.

This was mad, allowing a frail old man to hold her rambunctious toddler? It was asking for trouble. Ginny looked at Tougas for support, but he jerked his head in a 'well, get on with it, manner. She glared at him.

"Do you have children, Mr. Thomas?' she asked.

"Yes. But we're not close." A shadow passed over his face and he appeared to age several more years under the weight of the guilt he obviously felt. Ginny started to ask what happened, but at a look from Tougas she held her tongue, realizing that it wasn't a topic usually discussed with a new acquaintance. And the last thing she wanted to do was cause the man more pain, not after she knew he'd just lost his wife as well.

Feeling sorry for the lonely old man, Ginny relented and handed James over, though she remained close in case he started to fidget too much. She needn't have worried, though because Mr. Thomas proved her right. He was much stronger than he looked. What was more, he joined in with James's laughter and it made him to look younger, and eased some of his stiff movements. Ginny was glad she had relented, and she watched them together for several minutes before James grew irritable again.

"It was nice to meet you, Mr. Thomas," Ginny said, taking James back and immediately heading up the stairs.

"You as well, Miss. Weasley. James."

Tougas remained behind with Mr. Thomas, a curious thing to do in Ginny's opinion, but he probably had some ridiculous theory about how the man would affect the protections around the building. Rather than wait for him, she returned to her flat and put James in his crib. She had just enough time to think that maybe Tougas had done what he had come to do and had left when he knocked on the door.

"Mind telling me what that was all about?" she asked in an undertone so as not to disturb James. "Why were you with him and why did you feel the need to call me down? And what the bloody hell were you playing at, encouraging me to let some stranger hold my son?"

"Has anyone ever told you that you ask too many damned questions?"

"Yeah, you, and then you don't answer a single one," Ginny said, closing the door behind him. "But you're going to answer them this time, even if I have to cancel my plans and force you to stay here all evening."

"Plans? What plans?"

"I'm going out with Rossi. But never mind that," she said when he looked like he was going to interrupt. "Answer my questions!"

"I brought him here by Side-Along Apparition so I could make sure he wouldn't have any problems getting through the wards."

"What? You told me he was a Muggle. Why would you have -"

"D'you want me to answer your questions or not?"

"Yes," she said through tightly gritted teeth.

"Then shut up and let me answer them," Tougas said angrily, making Ginny think of a few hexes that she could throw at him. "For your information I modified his memory. We didn't want to take any chances that he might be followed by Lestrange, or one of her lot."

That didn't seem likely, and Ginny said so.

"We're not taking any chances," he replied, waving her statement away impatiently. "And I wanted you to come down and meet him so that I could be sure you didn't muck it up like you did the relationship with your last set of neighbours."

"D'you get some sort of sick satisfaction out of having people mad at you?"

"No," he said.

"Could have fooled me. Seems every time you're around you're doing things to irk me - like not telling me that Fohn was Briony's brother."

"Damn it, Weasley, I said I was sorry about Fohn. When are you going to stop harping about that?"

"When you ask Briony out," Ginny replied. She said it because she knew it would anger him further, and she wasn't opposed to it at the moment. She braced herself for the explosion that seemed imminent from the look on Tougas's face, but it didn't come.

"Not going to happen," he mumbled, and she thought she saw the same sort of shadow that had passed over Mr. Thomas's face just moments ago.

"Why not?" This was the first time in all the time she'd known him, that he hadn't tried to hide behind his surliness and she suspected that she might get a real answer out of him.

"If I tell you, will you promise to drop this whole topic?" he asked impatiently.

"No, but you're going to tell me anyway."

"Fine." Tougas only agreed when he realized that Ginny wasn't going to back down. He walked into the sitting room and sank down onto the sofa. She followed, anxious to hear his great reasoning for not acting on his feelings for all these years.

"You know her aunt, and now you've met her brother so you should have a good idea what her family's like."

"An unpleasant lot," Ginny agreed. "She was smart to get out when she did."

"They keep trying to get in contact with her and I keep telling her she should talk to them, but she refuses because they want her to stop spending so much time with me. I've told her that she shouldn't neglect them as they're the only family she's got, but she won't listen."

"Let me get this straight," Ginny said after waiting a minute to make sure he didn't have anything else to add. "You think she disowned her family simply because they don't like _you_?"

"Not entirely, but . . . yeah."

"Pitiful. Just pitiful." She shook her head. "Don't you think that there might have been more to it than that? That maybe she had issues with the family ideals, the ones that meant they _couldn't_ like you?"

"It comes down to the same thing. She has to make a choice between me and her family, and that's not a choice." He looked distinctly uncomfortable discussing this topic. "My family was taken from me and I didn't have a choice. I know what it feels like . . . "

Tougas looked disgusted with himself now. Good, Ginny thought. Maybe he was finally realizing how mental he was being. Briony had made the rational choice in separating herself from the lunatics in her family. As her friend, he should have been happy about that. Ginny tried explaining that, but Tougas still hadn't bought it when someone knocked on the door.

"Always such lousy timing," Ginny muttered as she went to answer it.

She cringed before checking to see who it was. She'd been diligently avoiding Hugh all week because she knew that now Keddle was gone he'd want to have their long overdue conversation about what happened at Christmas. Since she still didn't know what to tell him Ginny was relieved to see Ron and Hermione standing there instead, even though she hadn't talked to them at all since Monday night.

Their last visit was obviously weighing on Hermione as well because she had trouble meeting Ginny's gaze when they first entered the flat. She did look a lot more cheerful than she had been of late though, which was a relief because it meant she likely wouldn't explode again.

"I didn't expect to see you two today," Ginny stated simply.

"We shouldn't have dropped by unannounced after what happened the other day," Hermione said when Ron prompted her to speak. "You have every right to tell us, to tell me, to leave."

"I do," Ginny agreed. She was far from forgetting Monday evening, and she was still mad at her sister-in-law, but Ginny also knew that she probably wouldn't have her date with Rossi to look forward to if it hadn't been for what Hermione said. This, more than anything, prevented her from telling them to leave straight away. She would give Hermione a chance to explain herself.

Tougas came into the hall while Ron and Hermione were removing their coats and hanging them up.

"Are we interrupting something?" Ron asked, looking from one to the other, a dark look on his face.

"No," Ginny and Tougas said at the same time.

"Leaving so soon?" Ginny asked, feeling slightly disappointed. She had hoped to spend some more time trying to change his mind about Briony. She didn't try to convince Tougas to stay because she knew now that Ron and Hermione were here he wouldn't say anything else about it.

"I'm going to check on the spells one more time and then I've got to get some work done. Remember, Weasley, try not to aggravate the old man too much."

"Old man?" Ron and Hermione both asked, looking at Ginny as the door closed.

"The new neighbor," she explained. She ended up telling them all about how Tougas had insisted she come down and meet him as a good-will gesture.

"D'you think he's starting to lose it?" Ron asked, heading into the sitting room so he could watch Tougas leave.

"Maybe," Hermione said uncertainly. "I still have to wonder if Molly isn't right, though, and -"

"Don't start with that again," Ginny stated, rolling her eyes. "He definitely does not fancy me, nor do I. Fancy him, I mean. Besides, one of us would end up killing the other, I'm sure, from all the constant bickering. It's only you two who seem to thrive on it."

This statement caused Ron and Hermione to exchange a look, in which he nodded at her encouragingly. Hermione returned the nod half-heartedly, looking ashamed. Taking a deep breath she took Ginny's hand and led her over to the sofa.

"I owe you the world's biggest apology," she said once they were seated. "I had no right to say what I did, especially the way I did."

Ginny waited to hear more. She expected a whole litany of excuses from Hermione, about how she was having a bad day, was suffering from overwork, maybe even how Ron had done something to annoy her just before they came over on Monday evening, but she didn't offer any explanation. In the end it was Ginny who broke the silence.

"Do you believe what you said about Harry?" she asked quietly.

Hermione shifted uncomfortably.

"I don't want to. I really don't want to, but I can't pretend that I have much hope left that they'll find him."

"I spent a lot of time thinking about it on Monday night, and . . . I think you might be right." Ginny quickly held up her hand to show them she wasn't wearing her ring anymore. She ignored their shocked expressions. She took a deep breath and decided to tell them about Rossi. They both looked stunned and confused. Hermione was the first to recover.

"Romeo De Rossi? The Auror?"

"Yes, that one."

"He's got some nerve," Ron said angrily. "Honing in on you like that! He didn't even wait two seconds after you took the ring off to ask -"

"I asked him," Ginny stated, making Ron's jaw drop and Hermione's mouth form a perfect 'O.'

"But he was in training with Harry," Hermione pointed out as though Ginny didn't already know that. "Doesn't that make it a bit awkward?"

"It's not like they were best mates," Ginny said defensively. She tried to shrug but her own guilt over the matter shattered the casualness she had been trying to affect. She pretended not to notice the concerned glance Ron and Hermione shared as she continued, "Besides, it's just one date. I don't plan on jumping into bed with him, or running off and getting married or anything."

"Why him, though?" Ron asked, grimacing. "People are going to talk, Ginny, and not in a good way."

"Oh," she said, understanding his meaning. After a second her anger vanished and she laughed. "This is about my virtu, is it? Well, I'm sorry to be the one to break it to you, Ron, but that was gone many years ago."

Ron didn't look impressed, but Ginny was sure she saw the corners of Hermione's mouth twitch.

"Enough about me though, what's happened with you two these last few days? You both seem much more relaxed."

Though she wasn't able to get a concrete answer from either of them, Ginny was pleased that they were at last off the topic of her date. She didn't want to further mar her anticipation by an argument about whether she should go in the first place, not that Ron didn't try to engage the topic several more times throughout the afternoon. She would always counter with a question about what had happened to cheer him and Hermione up. When James woke up from his afternoon nap Hermione insisted on getting him. While she was gone, Ginny leaned over to Ron.

"So tell me brother, was she really so tetchy because of a lack of sleep?"

"Among other things," he replied evasively, the corners of his mouth turning up.

"What other - No, never mind," she said, holding up her hand. "I'm probably better off not knowing."

When Hermione returned with James several minutes later a transformation had come over her. She had seemed much happier all afternoon than she had done in months, but now she was actually glowing.

"We just missed you two, is all," she replied in response to Ginny's question. It was such an inadequate answer that Ginny was seized by an immediate suspicion that her mother had been right all along.

"You are pregnant, aren't you?"

"What? No!" Hermione's voice was higher than usual and she looked at Ron in alarm.

"You sound like mum," he said, going over to Hermione and putting an arm around her.

Ron and Hermione exchanged another look, not quite able to hide their smiles. This, in Ginny's opinion, was absolute proof that she was right. She didn't press the matter though as she understood only too well the many reasons they might want to keep quiet about it. She decided to let them have their little secret.

"Molly is supposed to be watching James tonight, isn't she?" Hermione asked, an obvious attempt to deflect more questions.

"Yeah, why?"

"Why don't you let us watch him instead. We're already here so you wouldn't have to drop him off anywhere, and it would give her a night off." Hermione looked hopefully at Ginny, who smiled. She had another suspicion that this request was as much about practicing their parenting skill as it was making up for the time they'd lost with James this week.

"Yeah, all right," she agreed. Hermione looked, if possible, even more radiant.

James was just as pleased to see Ron and Hermione as they were to see him. The next few hours passed quickly as they all took it in turns to chase James around the flat while he squealed delightedly. It was highly enjoyable, like they had returned to a time before the argument, and before Keddle had come to stay. It made Ginny reluctant to leave.

"So don't go," Ron said when she foolishly told them what she was thinking. "Send him an owl and tell him you've come down with cold or something."

"Ronald!" Hermione scolded.

"What? I'm only saying that if she doesn't want to go . . . " He fell silent under her quailing look.

"She does want to go though. Don't you, Ginny?"

"I do," Ginny said slowly. Her stomach did another flip flop, but out of anticipation rather than guilt.

"See." Hermione looked at Ron smugly. "Come on, Ginny, I'll help you get ready. Make sure he doesn't hurt himself," she added to Ron over her shoulder as they left the room.

"I'm glad you've decided to go through with this," Hermione said when she'd finished exclaiming over the dress Ginny had bought.

"Me, too," Ginny replied, examining her reflection in the mirror. She'd picked up the dress at a Muggle shop she happened to pass in London only the day before, and she was glad she had done. It was a simple black velvet that clung to her hips, and the neckline dipped just enough to show some cleavage. She had to admit it looked good, especially with her hair pulled back in a roll that Hermione had done.

Ron was sitting on the floor with James when they emerged from the bedroom.

"You're not going out in that!" he said, jumping to his feet.

"Now who sounds like mum?" she asked, chuckling. Both Ron and Hermione followed her into the hall and watched her pull on her coat. That done, she gave them each a quick peck on the cheek. "Thanks again for watching James. I won't be late."

"Wait. He's not coming here to get you?" Ron asked indignantly.

"We're meeting at the restaurant, because -"

"That's not appropriate!"

"It was my decision," Ginny replied, laughing again because Ron was obviously looking for things to criticize. "With all the spells around this place he probably couldn't get here anyway."

"Where are you going?" Ron asked. "Timbuktu?"

"Diagon Alley, actually. Not too far from Fred and George's, if memory serves." Ginny didn't miss the slight smile that Ron tried unsuccessfully to hide, and she knew what that meant. "If you tell them anything about this, I will murder you. Painfully. Got it?"

"He'll behave," Hermione said. "Won't you, Ronald?"

He didn't look much like he wanted to agree, but he nodded when Ginny and Hermione both glared at him.

"The restaurant is called Dimentichi's. Rossi says the steaks are unforgettable," Ginny said, pulling the door open.

Once she was sure that Ron and Hermione had committed the location to memory, Ginny gave James one last kiss and headed out the door. She felt a little shaky as she walked down the stairs and wasn't entirely sure if it was due to nerves or just because it had been so long since she'd worn high heels.

"Heading out for the evening?" Mr. Thomas asked, making Ginny jump. He was also wearing his coat and had just stepped out of his flat.

"You scared me," she said, pressing her hand to her heart and letting out a relieved laugh. "Yes, I am. I'm heading out to dinner."

"Oh? I'm just heading to the market," he replied when he noticed her looking.

They exited the building together and Ginny, feeling it was only polite, slowed to walk at Mr. Thomas's pace. He seemed a little unsteady on his feet this evening.

"Are you meeting someone _special_ tonight?" he asked, speaking for the first time since leaving the building as they neared the courtyard exit. She noticed that he laid a delicate stress on the word special, and thought she could detect either sadness or bitterness in his voice. It was the loneliness talking, she knew.

"I don't know yet," she answered honestly. "It's only the first date. The first one I've been on since my son was born, actually."

"Really? I'd have thought . . . A lovely young woman like yourself would have a full dance card."

"I'm afraid not."

Mr. Thomas seemed to notice that she was reluctant to elaborate on why this was her first date. He smiled understandingly and patted her arm.

"You look stunning, Miss, Weasley. He's a lucky man."

He turned left and started making his way slowly down the street.

"D'you need some help, Mr. Thomas?" she asked, already taking a few steps in his direction.

"I'll be fine," he said, his voice cracking again. "Go and enjoy yourself."

Ginny watched him make his way slowly down the sidewalk and she considered ignoring his request. He seemed like a nice man and she worried that he might get mugged, or do himself a serious injury. It was only when she looked up and saw Hermione standing in the window tapping her watch impatiently that Ginny finally turned on her heel and headed in the opposite direction.

Diagon Alley was a different place at night, Ginny reckoned. Most of the shops were closed, and instead of the street overflowing with families, or people up to do a day's shopping, it was full of couples walking hand in hand or snogging. More dodgy characters were out, too. Twice Ginny had to skirt mangy looking wizards who were trying to sell questionable potions.

"My guarantee, Miss," the second said, grabbing the sleeve of her coat. "It'll make you irresistible to any wizard."

"Get off," she said, yanking her arm out of his grasp and reaching for her wand. "Do I look like I need or want any of your rubbishy potions?"

"N - No," he said, backing into the wall of the nearest building.

"Stop harassing people," she called, watching him hurry away.

The altercation didn't go unnoticed and most unfortunately several people recognized Ginny. She wasn't surprised, given the ridiculous amount of media attention her meeting with Fohn was receiving. She hastily signed a few slips of parchment and then walked very quickly to the restaurant, arriving just a few minutes late.

Until Rossi had mentioned the place, Ginny had never heard of Dimentichi's, but it turned out to be a medium-sized restaurant equidistant from Fred and George's joke shop and Gringott's bank. It was also quite elegant and made her feel very underdressed.

"Benvenuta a Dimentichi's, Signorina Weasley."

"Er, hi," she said. "I'm here to meet -"

"Signore Rossi? Si. He is already seated. Allow me to take your coat and then I will take you to him."

"Thank you."

People turned to stare as Ginny passed and she thought she could detect an increase in the muttered conversations, but she ignored it, keeping her head straight and only letting her eyes wander over the decor. Each row of round tables was covered in a white table cloth that worked well with the deep red chairs set around them. Each row was separated by tall wooden pillars covered in a plant that looked very much like it had come from somewhere in the Mediterranean and made the whole place smell faintly like the ocean.

Rossi was standing when they finally reached his table. He flashed his dazzling smile and Ginny couldn't help but return it. She thought he looked rather handsome in his navy blue dress robes.

"I'm sorry I was late."

"No worries. Grazie," he said to the server, who disappeared so fast he might have Disapparated.

"Grazie," Ginny said when Rossi pulled out her chair for her.

"Prego. Qualche cosa per una bella donna." He kissed her hand before returning to his seat. Despite the fact that she was still a little chilled from the night air outside, Ginny felt her face grow warm.

"OK, you're good," she said, reaching for the glass of water already poured for her.

"I try," he said, smiling again as he raised his own glass.

"Were you waiting long?"

"Not at all. I was a little late myself. Things are hectic at work at the moment."

"So Tougas keeps saying," Ginny said, rolling her eyes. "It must be easier now you don't have to worry about Keddle's case."

"For a few days it was, but they asked me to join the task force," he said. From the barely controlled excitement in his voice, it was easy to see he'd been holding onto this bit of news for some time and was eager to tell someone about it. Ginny couldn't honestly share in his enthusiasm, but forced herself to smile.

"Congratulations. When did this happen?"

"Thursday," he said, opening his menu. He touched his wand to one of the items and a bottle of Elderflower wine appeared on the table.

"You're full of surprises," Ginny said, staring at the bottle. "Here I was thinking you were French. You bring me to an Italian restaurant, demonstrate that you can speak the language very well, and then you order an English wine."

"There's no sense in being too predictable," he said, giving her one of his trademark winks. "This will do, I presume."

"Absolutely." She took the glass he handed her, but hesitated in drinking any of it, suddenly reminded of what had happened once before when she had not been cautious of her drink. It took a moment for her reason to return. The chances of this bottle containing any potion were as high as Lestrange following Mr. Thomas to his new flat. Ginny was reassured by this thought, but still took only a small sip before setting her glass down again.

"So how have you found your first few days as part of the illustrious task force?" She thought she did a good job of keeping the sarcasm out of her voice.

"Brilliant so far, though all I've done for the last forty-eight hours is read. I've got parchment burns on my fingers, look." He held up the hand that wasn't holding his glass.

"I'm not surprised. That's all Harry did for months when he first joined . . . " Ginny fell silent, feeling awkward. Talking about Harry with Rossi was the last thing she wanted to do, but something did occur to her, and she mentioned it, more to fill the silence than anything. "I'm surprised you were able to come tonight if you have all that work."

Rossi leaned in as he spoke. "The way I see it, it's all a matter of priorities. The work is important, but it shouldn't be the only thing. Not that Potter didn't consider you a priority," he added hastily when she opened her mouth to say something. He sat back in his chair and sipped his wine. "How's Evangeline?"

Ginny suspected he asked the question for the same reason she'd mentioned all the work he'd have to do, but she wasn't at all upset by it. She seized on the topic gladly and they spent the next twenty minutes talking about Keddle and Quidditch. By the time they'd talked themselves out, their dinner had arrived.

"So tell me, Ginny, what do you do for fun?" he asked after swallowing a mouthful of steak.

"Spend time with my son," she said, taking another sip of her wine. She felt no traces of fatigue or queasiness, so the wine wasn't spiked, a realization that made her relax. "That's all I have time to do outside of practice."

"Come now, Ginny, you don't really expect me to believe that all you've been doing every night is sitting home and taking care of a leetle boy? You 'aven't been dating at all?" Rossi put on his best French accent, reminding her very much of Fleur.

"It's true. You're the first in a _very_ long time."

"My good fortune then," he said, smiling suggestively and winking again.

"Keep dreaming," she replied, though she returned his wink. "What do you do for fun, then?"

"I travel, to warmer and dryer places than can be found on this rock."

"Where for instance?"

"Most recently, Morocco. And I plan to go back when I have the time. Though maybe I should reconsider," he said slowly, looking at the ceiling as though lost in thought. "There's a high priest who hasn't finished with me yet."

As they finished eating, he elaborated on his exploits in the African country, including how the high priest had sworn vengeance on Rossi for reportedly seducing his daughter.

"Why doesn't that surprise me," Ginny said, laughing and shaking her head. "You're trouble, you are. Yes, I'll have another glass of wine, thanks."

"I was innocent. It was just a misunderstanding is all," Rossi said, emptying the bottle into her glass.

"Sure it was," she replied indulgently. Sitting back in her chair, Ginny swilled her wine thinking that the date was going better than she had expected. She raised her glass to drink to the happy thought.

Before the glass touched her lips she saw movement out of the corner of her eye. It was probably just a server hurrying past, but she turned her head anyway, and her glass slipped out of her grasp. It hit the edge of the table and shattered, showering Ginny with wine, but she barely noticed. She was staring at a pillar to her left that stood about five feet behind Rossi, the place where she had just seen Harry standing.

"What's wrong?" Rossi asked when she continued to stare at the pillar. He glanced back, and seeing nothing he got up and came round the table, putting a hand on her shoulder. She shook him off.

"Just clumsy," she said, making a brave attempt to laugh it off, but her voice shook.

"You look like you're about to pass out. And you're shivering. Are you cold? Should I get your coat?"

"I'm OK." Ginny jumped to her feet. "I just need to - to get cleaned up. Excuse me." And she hurried in the direction of the loo, stopping very briefly to run her hand along the pillar where only seconds earlier she was convinced she had seen Harry. There was nothing there but the plant.

No one else was in the bathroom when Ginny entered. She threw her purse onto the counter and pulled out her wand, but didn't immediately use it. Instead she stared at her pale reflection. Had she really seen Harry, or was it just her conscience rearing it's ugly head because she knew it was wrong to be out with Rossi? Was her vision caused by something other than guilt? Something in the wine after all, or maybe that plant had some sort of hallucinogenic properties?

"Ridiculous," Ginny whispered, raising her wand at last to clean the wine from her dress. She had just seen a server going by, and her own unconscious guilt had made her think she was seeing Harry, that was all. She reached into her bag to pull out her lipstick when she saw movement in the mirror, and again she was convinced it was Harry. She spun on her heel so fast that she had to grab the counter to avoid falling, but still there was no one there.

It was impossible to tell how long she stood like that, but when Ginny finally raised her head she felt worse than she had before. She abandoned her attempts to touch up her makeup, because it had smeared worse than ever, and washed it off. Then, trying to hold her head high, she returned to the restaurant.

"Is everything all right, signorina?"

It was the same man who'd greeted her when she first arrived.

"Fine, fine," she said quickly. "Can you tell me where I might pick up my coat?"

"Si. I will bring it to you, signorina. At your table?"

Ginny hesitated, wanting to leave as quickly as she could, but owed it to Rossi to at least say goodbye. "Yes, please."

Rossi was sitting, but stood up the minute he saw Ginny.

"Is everything all right?" he asked.

Ginny debated making up some lie, but found she didn't have the strength. She rummaged in her purse for her moneybag, taking her time in answering him.

"I enjoyed the meal, but it turns out that I'm not quite ready for this dating thing yet. It was nothing you did, believe me," she added, forestalling his question.

The waiter returned with Ginny's coat at that moment, cutting the conversation short. She apologized again as she pressed a handful of galleons into his hand, shouting down his refusal, and then she hurried out of the restaurant as fast as she could. She didn't stop moving until she was standing in the middle of the courtyard.

By moving quickly, she had hoped to distance herself from the images of Harry, the hallucinations or whatever they were, but he seemed closer than ever here, like she could turn around and feel him standing right behind her.

"Where are you, Harry?" she said softly, stopping on the stoop and looking back. She waited for a long time, but didn't receive an answer.


	9. Chapter Eight: The Dream

Having exhausted every last bit of energy she felt she possessed in leaving the restaurant and returning home, Ginny couldn't even force herself to take another step. She leaned against the door, folded her arms over her chest and closed her eyes. After a moment she also leant her head back. It started to snow while she stood there, and the icy flakes fell on her face. She stopped feeling them after a while, just like she stopped feeling the cold.

How long she would have stayed out in the falling snow was impossible to say, but it would have been longer had Hugh not been returning from somewhere. He was obviously as preoccupied as Ginny because he didn't see her until he was stepping onto the stoop.

"Ginny?" he asked. His shock couldn't disguise the flat and defeated tone of his voice. "Did you forget your key again?"

She shook her head but didn't move otherwise.

"Why are you standing out here, then?" He had his key in hand and moved a few inches closer so he could use it. Ginny still remained where she was, prompting another question about why she was standing out here, dressed as she was. She shrugged.

"Good Lord, you're freezing," he said, touching her cheek. "And you look like you've seen a ghost! What's going on?"

"I might have seen a ghost," she said hoarsely. She immediately started shivering uncontrollably, as though all of the chill caught up with her at once.

"Let's get you inside."

Hugh asked no further questions about what she meant, which was just as well because Ginny couldn't have answered him. She could barely make her legs move and he had to all but carry her up the stairs and into her flat. When he removed his arm from around her waist she fell back against the door again.

"Ginny, mum's just sent a letter. She wants to know what time you want us to be there on Satur -" Ron was holding a roll of parchment. He stopped level with the kitchen door. "What the - Hermione, come here."

By the time Ron and Hermione made the journey from one end of the long hallway to another, Ginny had kicked her shoes into the closet and was heading for James's room, running one hand along the wall for support. The others were asking questions but she couldn't process them. She had one last burst of energy left and only one goal. She took James from his crib and headed for her own bed.

"At least let me take your coat," Hermione said when Ginny was about to crawl into bed. She relented and allowed Hermione to remove her wet coat - a difficult task because she wouldn't let go of James - and then she fell onto the bed, fully clothed and began stroking James's hair. It was easy to ignore everything but her son and his silky soft, albeit untidy, hair. She soon fell into a stupor.

At some point the stupor changed into actual sleep from which Ginny woke an unknown number of hours later. Her head was pounding and she was still shivering despite the fact that someone had covered her in a heavy quilt. She was disoriented in the near total darkness, but soon realized it was much darker because the curtains had been completely closed, something she never did because she liked the sliver of light from the streetlamp. As she adjusted herself in bed her hand brushed against a head of hair and for the most fleeting of moments she was seized with the idea that it was Harry.

Ginny brushed James's hair off his forehead knowing that she had made the error because of the dream that had awakened her.

She had dreamt that Harry had been in the loo at Dimentichi's, hidden under his invisibility cloak, which had brushed against her leg as she was leaving. She reached behind her and pulled it off, revealing him. He looked exhausted and unkempt, but was unmistakeable. She stupidly started to shout his name, but he clapped his hand over her mouth, insisting that they didn't have much time. He pulled her into a tight embrace and threw the cloak over them both.

And then they were kissing. Who started it Ginny neither knew nor cared as she ran the pads of her fingers over his days old stubble before tangling her hands in his hair.

Ginny sat up and opened her eyes, trying to block out the dream and the feeling of kissing Harry, of his fingers sliding from her face down her arm and then lightly across her abdomen where they lingered for a moment. He stopped kissing her, and in the omniscience of her dream she knew it was because of the guilt he felt over not being there for her and James.

"He looks just like you," she said, brushing the hair off his forehead like she did so often with James.

"But he's got your eyes," Harry replied. The warmness of his breath tickled the hairs on her neck and transcended the dream so that, like with everything else, it felt less like a dream and more like a memory.

Now holding James, Ginny tried to swallow the painful lump in her throat, but what escaped was a sob. She stifled it by burying her face in her son's hair, glad that he didn't wake. The more she battled to control her sobs, insisting that she had shed enough tears, the less Ginny was able to control them. Telling herself it was ridiculous to keep getting upset over the same thing wasn't helpful either because it didn't change the fact that for a very short time she'd allowed herself to believe that she'd seen Harry, that he was near again when the truth was that he'd never been farther away.

Ginny might have stayed frozen in that position, sitting on the bed with her son cradled in her lap, had she not decided to open the curtains a crack. She reached up to tug them open, and the minute light flooded into the room, it shone on her ring, which she was again wearing on the forth finger of her left hand.

"What the hell?" she asked quietly, staring at it as though she had never seen it before. She couldn't recall putting it back on, but guessed she must have done when she was lying there in her stupor. She started to pull it off, hesitated for a moment wondering if maybe she shouldn't, and then proceeded, placing it on the bedside cabinet, right beside the open box. It was no good wearing it now, hadn't that been her decision a week ago?

James shifted sleepily in her arms while she was still staring at the ring, and once more his movement nearly spelled disaster. Only at the very last second did Ginny prevent him from falling, reminding herself why it wasn't a good idea to have him sleep in her bed. Kicking the covers off the cold air assaulted her bare legs; she was still wearing her dress. She'd deal with that later, she decided as she carried James back to his room. She waited to make sure he didn't wake and when satisfied she returned to her own room to change.

Ginny threw the dress into the clothes hamper and changed into an old but warm pair of tracksuit bottoms and a particularly thick jumper that her mother had made for her when she was pregnant with James. She sat down on the bed to let down her hair.

From the moment she stepped into the room, however, her eyes frequently darted to the ring, so that when she climbed back on the bed she picked it up and stared at it. She couldn't go back to wearing it, she knew that, but it didn't seem right to put it back in the box either. In the end she pulled out a long silver chain that used to belong to her grandmother Weasley, slipped the ring onto that and put it around her neck.

"Ginny?"

Hermione's voice, quiet though it was, made Ginny jump. She hadn't realized that anyone else was here.

"What?" she asked, quickly tucking the chain beneath her jumper, hoping that Hermione hadn't seen anything. It might lead to awkward questions.

"Are you all right?" Hermione spoke in the same quiet and cautious voice as she took several steps into the room.

"I'm fine."

"Rubbish," Ron replied, coming into the room several steps behind Hermione. He waved his wand and the light turned on. "You were fine when you left here, but Hugh told us he found you standing outside, trying to freeze to death, and he practically had to carry you up the stairs. You looked like you were about to faint. And we both heard you crying just now. Did Rossi try something? Did he _do_ something?"

The angry look on Ron's face made Ginny smile faintly. If only it had been that simple. She could have handled Rossi making some kind of inappropriate advance with a good hex.

"Was it more difficult than you thought it would be?" Hermione asked, knowingly. She perched on the edge of the bed and took Ginny's hand. "Was it hard to be with someone who worked with Harry?"

"No. It wasn't that." Ginny shook her head. She wanted to tell them what happened, but wasn't sure if she could stand to go through it all again. The disbelieving look on Ron's face was enough to convince her that she had to explain a little bit. She couldn't let Rossi take the blame for something he didn't do.

"Rossi was great," she said, and then slowly told them everything that happened, culminating with her dream.

"And you're sure he wasn't actually there?" Hermione asked, when Ginny finished.

"What kind of question is that?" Ron asked angrily.

"A valid one," she replied patiently. The question was particularly surprising given that not a week earlier she was telling Ginny that she thought Harry was dead. "I . . . I know what I said on Monday, Ginny, but . . . but sometimes I'm sure I see him, too. And I'm not talking about the rubbish they talk about in the Prophet or on the wireless. I swear I saw him at work the other day. I - I know it's ludicrous, but . . . "

"You never told me about this," Ron said. His angry look was now infused with shock.

"It was so brief that I can't be sure, and I thought it was just my mind playing tricks because it was the day after our row," Hermione said. She was wearing a hopeful expression that Ginny was very familiar with, because she'd felt the same way many, many times, most recently tha evening.

"He wouldn't have remained hidden like that," Ginny stated.

"I dunno, Ginny," Ron said, resting his hand on Hermione's shoulder. "He could have a very good reason for not revealing himself."

"Knowing Harry it would be because he was trying to keep someone safe," Hermione stated, looking specifically at Ginny.

"Don't you think the Ministry would have found him if that was the case?" Ginny asked, feeling her impatience grow. "They wouldn't just let him disappear like that."

"What if . . . " Hermione chewed her lip for a moment, not because she was thinking, but because she looked hesitant to voice her opinion.

"What if what?"

"Well, Ginny, you did say that Harry admitted they were conceiving some sort of plan to catch Lestrange that involved him disappearing."

"Yeah, but they didn't because Harry said he didn't want to -"

"You know what it was like then, with all those extra attacks," Hermione interrupted. "What if he changed his mind again?"

"He wouldn't have done," Ginny said with a finality that she hoped would close the subject. She got to her feet and left the room. Her head was starting to throb worse than ever and she wanted to take something for it.

"But if things were getting really dangerous . . . " Ron followed Ginny out of the room and into the kitchen. He grabbed the bottle Ginny was straining to reach. Handing it to her, he added, "You don't know -"

"What don't I know?" she asked, slamming the bottle onto the counter with unnecessary force. "I don't know how stubborn he could be? How he would get these ridiculous notions in his head that were impossible to get rid of?"

"Yeah." Ron scratched his chin, looking uncomfortable.

"I know that all right, as well, or better than you did." She was thinking of the morning after Harry was nearly killed by Bellatrix Lestrange, when he had told her they couldn't be together. Ron and Hermione didn't know about that, of course. "I know more than you. I know how he looked when I first told him I was pregnant, and how happy he was when we agreed to get married, and I remember all the times he said he didn't want to miss a single minute with James. Does that sound like he was planning on leaving?"

"Well, no, but -"

"Then don't tell me what I don't know."

Her hands were trembling ever so slightly as she poured a measure of the green potion into her cup and drank it. The headache disappeared almost at once, but Ginny didn't really feel any better and she went back to bed.

Ron and Hermione were still there when Ginny woke up. They looked as awful as she felt, and she knew they hadn't slept well, even though Hermione had temporarily transfigured the sofa into a very comfortable looking bed. They were lying on it with James playing happily between them when Ginny came out of her room, her headache returned.

"Morning," Hermione said tensely when Ginny passed them to make some tea.

"Morning," she mumbled, wishing that her mum and dad hadn't gone to Romania to visit Charlie this weekend. It was Sunday, the day for visiting the Burrow. the surest way to get Ron and Hermione out of her flat. This way she had no idea when they were going to leave, and how much longer she was going to have to endure their pitying looks.

Hermione hurried into the kitchen when Ginny was setting the tea to steep. She had a copy of the Daily Prophet in her hand and looked livid.

"Read this," she said through gritted teeth, laying the paper out on the table.

"What now?" Ginny asked, already coming over, the kettle still in her hand.

The front page of the paper was once again taken up with a large picture of Declan Fohn. He was standing behind a makeshift podium and gesturing forcefully. The crowd shown in the picture were all waving their wands like they were at a Weird Sisters concert.

"He's up to his usual tricks. Read it," Hermione said, disgustedly. Ginny bent over the paper and immediately one thing jumped out at her: the article was written by Rita Skeeter.

"I can't stomach her. Just tell me what it says," she replied.

"More rubbish. He gave a speech last night." Hermione scanned the article. "Pure-bloods getting a raw deal . . . Minister to blame . . . The usual tripe, but he was asked a question about Lestrange. Where is it? Oh, yes, here: _When asked about Bellatrix Lestrange, Mr. Fohn had this to say: 'In light of the Minister's ongoing campaign to marginalize us and our noble history, I have begun to wonder if Madame Lestrange has not been painted darker than she truly is.' He refused further comment when asked if he is now taking up the mantle of support for You-Know-Who's most faithful Death Eater."_

"He said what?" Ginny asked loudly. She seized the paper from Hermione, located the quote and read it for herself, still disbelieving it. Fohn was an idiot, and prejudiced, but she had considered him to be sane. "This is just Rita Skeeter being her usual self though, right?"

"I hope so," Hermione replied, folding the paper. "Otherwise this is bad, this is really bad. If he has gone over to the dark side . . . He's got a lot of supporters."

"People won't be that stupid."

But the thing was, Ginny knew how easily people could be fooled. Fohn wouldn't openly declare his support for Lestrange and all of a sudden start handing out Death Eater recruitment cards. He would do it slowly and far too many people would go along, getting themselves so far in that they wouldn't be able to back out.

"He can't get away with this," she said, setting the keddle down on the table heavily, and splashing hot water all over her hand. "Ouch!'

She tapped her hand with her wand and the pain subsided.

"I'm going to talk to Tougas about this when he comes . . . " As she thought it, Ginny realized that Tougas might not come at all. He had said that he didn't have the time anymore. She couldn't take the chance that he didn't know about this. "Hermione, can I borrow Pigwidgeon?"

"You're always welcome," Hermione replied. "But it might be faster to use Hedwig, you know."

"I would if I knew where she was."

"She got back early this morning," Hermione replied.

She was quite right. Ginny hurried into the sitting room and saw Hedwig asleep on her perch with her head under her wing. She'd never been so glad to see the owl in her life.

"She brought you a letter, too, didn't she, Ron?"

"What?" he asked. He was lying on the transfigured sofa, holding James up in the air. James was laughing hysterically.

"The letter for Ginny. Where is it?" Hermione asked. She was watching her husband and nephew with a small smile on her face.

"It's there," Ron jerked his head at the end table closest to the window.

It was from Keddle and was written in some haste. Ink blots littered the page and her words were smeared in several places, making it a challenge for Ginny to decipher.

"She was at Fohn's rally last night?" Ginny squinted at the page to make sure she was reading right. "With a friend of hers. They said that Rita got it right. He did say that he thought Lestrange is getting a raw deal. This friend of hers . . . Dee? I'm not sure . . . Anyway, she wants to meet me. They have some kind of a plan to try and counter Fohn."

"What sort of a plan?" Ron asked. He lowered James just enough that the boy was able to grab his nose. "You gnome, you!"

"I don't know," Ginny said. "She didn't say, only that they'd like me to meet them this afternoon."

"Are you going to?" Hermione asked.

"I think I might. I'm still going to write to Tougas first."

Hedwig hooted in a disgruntled sort of way when Ginny prodded her awake several minutes later.

"Sorry to wake you, but can you deliver this to Tougas for me?" she asked, already opening the window. Hedwig stared at her disbelievingly for a few seconds before she held out her leg and allowed Ginny to tie the scroll to it. "Thank you, I'll try and find you a spider or something for when you get back."

"You will not," Ron said. "It's bad enough Crookshanks has to eat the bloody things when I'm around."

"A nice fat and juicy one," Ginny replied as Hedwig flew out the window.

Ron glared.

"Jay," she said, taking James from Ron. "How would you like to come with me on a little trip?"

"Mumumum," he said, grabbing a strand of her hair and pulling it.

"I'll take that as a yes. Come on, let's get you dressed."

"You're not thinking of taking him with you?" Hermione asked in alarm.

"Course I am," Ginny replied over her shoulder. "It's about time he sees more than this flat, the Burrow and the Quidditch Stadium, isn't it?"

She could tell by the lack of comment that Hermione didn't agree, but Ginny wasn't bothered by it. She wanted to spend the time with him before going back to work. It was going to be an especially busy week with the Kestrals match coming up on Friday, and James's first birthday on Saturday. Besides that, Keddle had grown attached to him in the weeks she had stayed here and Ginny knew she would enjoy seeing him as she'd been asking about him all week.

"You two should go home," Ginny said, once she had dressed herself and her son in outerwear. "You've got your own child to worry about."

Their splutters followed her into the hall.

James was jabbering away happily as they walked down the stairs, and he almost drowned out the angry voices that were coming from Mr. Thomas's flat. Ginny slowed her descent to listen, even shushing James. Had one of the elderly man's estranged children stopped by? If so, she had no business eavesdropping or interfering and would do best to continue on her way. She didn't do so, though. When she reached the bottom of the stairs she stopped to listen. The voices were too muffled for her to make out much, but there was something very . . . unusual about them, something that made her uneasy.

Against her better judgment, Ginny knocked on the door. The angry voices died at once, and she heard a deep thud as though something heavy had been dropped. The sound made her heart rate quicken.

"Mr. Thomas?' she called, knocking a second time while trying to pull out her wand. "Mr. Thomas, it's Ginny Weasley from upstairs. Is everything all right?"

The sound of shuffling feet, then the lock was slid back and Mr. Thomas opened the door a sliver. He was completely out of breath.

"Miss. Weasley?" he asked, staring at her through the crack in the door.

"I heard shouting," Ginny said, trying to peer into the flat, a feat proving impossible through the narrow opening. "Are you in any sort of trouble?"

"Shouting?" Mr. Thomas let the door open a little wider as he rubbed his chin, thinking. "Oh, that's nothing to worry about. It was just the television, I had it up a wee bit too loud."

"Your television?" Ginny asked. She tucked her wand back into her pocket and adjusted James on her hip when he started to squirm.

"Yes, you see -"

"Dada?" James said loudly, holding out his arms for the elderly man to take him.

"No, James," Ginny corrected rapidly when Mr. Thomas's eyes nearly bulged out of his head. "I'm so sorry. He's started doing this all the time."

"I understand, of course," Mr. Thomas said. He opened his door further and stepped out into the hall in his tartan dressing gown so he could ruffle James's hair. "It must be difficult for him without his father in his life."

"Yeah. It - Wait, who told you he wasn't?" Ginny started reaching for her wand again.

"The young bloke who introduced us yesterday. He . . . er . . . said you were particularly sensitive about it."

"Did he?" It sounded like she might need to do more than write Tougas a letter.

"He might have also told me not to mention it. I'm sorry."

"It's all right. I'm sorry to have bothered you, Mr. Thomas," Ginny said, now anxious to get away before the inevitable question about why Harry wasn't around came up. She held out her hand.

"I'm not bothered," he said, taking her hand in both of his, still smiling.

"Thank you." Ginny pulled her hand away, smiled one last time and headed out the door.

A hoot sounded just above her, and she saw Hermione open the window to let Hedwig in. For her to have returned within a half an hour meant Tougas was nearby. Perhaps he was going to stop by after all. It was fortunate for him that he would to miss her.

"Hoooo," James cried as they stepped out into the street.

"That's right, that's what Hedwig says," Ginny replied, but a second later she realized that James wasn't imitating an owl. He was trying to say Hugh's name.

"Wait a second," Hugh called. He was coming from the opposite direction, jogging toward her with a coffee in his hand. She retraced her steps so that she was standing at the entrance to the courtyard.

"I wanted to see how you were doing after last night?" Hugh asked, taking a sip of his coffee so that it didn't drip all over his hands. "You certainly seem to be dressed more weather appropriate today."

"Yeah," Ginny said. "Thank you for last night. It was . . . difficult."

"So I reckoned."

Ginny expected him to immediately launch into a million questions about what had happened, but he didn't. She had the strange suspicion that he knew it had been about Harry. Perhaps that was why he didn't say anything: he was over his curiosity.

"I'd invite you in for a cuppa, but I see you've already got one," she said. "And I'm on my way out. Another time though?"

"Sure," he said with something less than his usual enthusiasm.

"That's settled then." Ginny gave him a quick one armed hug, and stood on tiptoe to give him a peck on the cheek. "Thanks again."

"You're welcome." Hugh raised his hand to his cheek as he walked towards the building. Ginny watched him until he was inside. She waved at Mr. Thomas who was looking out his window before she headed off again.

Keddle had asked Ginny to meet her and this mysterious friend in the Leaky Cauldron around mid-day. It was a Sunday, so the pub was a little less crowded than it would have been the day before, but much more so than when she had been here to meet Declan Fohn. Heads turned as they always did when someone new entered the pub. Ginny heard several gasps, and the scraping of chairs, but she didn't stop. She headed straight to the bar where Hannah was busy filling a flagon of mead.

"Hi, Hannah," she said, letting James stand on the barstool, keeping a firm grip on him.

"Hi, Ginny." Hannah placed the flagon on the bar, where it was seized by an elderly wizard. It was lucky she did this first, because when she looked up and saw James, she dropped the towel she was using to wipe the bar. "Oh my goodness. He looks exactly like Harry. What's he called?"

"James."

Hannah hurried out from behind the bar, shouting for someone to mind it for a moment. A disgruntled looking blonde haired witch came out, popping her gum as she did so. Hannah gestured for Ginny to follow her down the short hall that led to the private parlors.

"Keddle got here earlier," she explained in a low voice. "We thought that this would be better for you, and now we know we were right. And there's someone else here who is anxious to see you."

That someone turned out to be Neville Longbottom.

"I didn't expect to see you here in the middle of term," Ginny said, hugging him. "Playing hooky from school, and you a professor!"

"I've just stopped by to see Hannah," he said. "I didn't expect to see you here either."

"She's actually here to see us," Keddle stated. "I'm surprised to see that you brought Jay."

She was sitting at the table with a witch whose white blonde hair was short and spiky. This must be Dee, Ginny surmised seeing that Dee wore a black Weird Sisters t-shirt under her dragon-hide jacket and jeans that were ripped at the knees.

"I thought he needed to start getting out more," Ginny said, watching the stranger most carefully. Everyone else she had known for years and knew she could trust with James.

"You're right Eva, he does look like Harry Potter," Dee spoke up, drawing everyone's attention to her.

"But he has your eyes," Neville said to Ginny.

It was quite easy to spot this as James's eyes were opened wide as he looked around at everyone and everything in amazement.

'That's not what we're here to discuss though, is it?" Ginny asked Keddle, glancing uneasily at Dee again.

"No. And - oh. Ginny this is Dee. Diandra Alvin actually. She's a friend of mine from school. I thought the two of you should meet because she has similar ideas about Fohn."

"We'll leave you too it then," Hannah said. "Can I get you and James anything to drink?"

"Tea for me. Milk for James. Thanks Hannah"

When the drinks were set before them and Hannah and Neville had left, Ginny spoke up again.

"So, Dee, you also think that Fohn is a slimy git who deserves to live at the bottom of a swamp somewhere?"

"That's too nice for him," Dee said fiercely. "I think we need to feed him to some of those Blast Ended Skrewts Hagrid had that one year."

Ginny reserved her laughter like she was doing her judgment, but this was one point in Dee's favor.

"We were just talking before you arrived, Ginny, about how we could go about putting a stop to Fohn -"

"Woa," Ginny said, both because James was reaching for her hot cup of tea and because of what Keddle was implying. She pushed the tea out of James's reach, set him down on the floor and pulled Gryffin out of her bag. James took him happily and started pulling at his mane of golden hair.

"How do you think we can put a stop to him?"

"Well . . . " Keddle looked at Dee.

"We've already been trying a few things. Pamphlets and the like, but no one's been really listening," Dee replied, looking frustrated.

"That's why I suggested you," Keddle said excitedly. "You've already told Fohn off for being a git and that got a lot of media coverage. So if you were to officially oppose him -"

"I've got enough on my plate with James and Quidditch," Ginny said, holding up her hand. "I can't get involved in politics, too."

She had already stood up to get James so they could leave when she caught sight of the Daily Prophet sticking out of Dee's bag and this reminded her of her own thoughts earlier. Hadn't she said to herself that Fohn needed to be stopped before he started a Death Eater recruitment camp? And now, not two hours later when she was being given the opportunity to help stop him she was turning it down? What was wrong with her?

Keddle looked deeply disappointed. Dee, on the other hand, seemed to have noticed that Ginny's answer wasn't as absolute as it might have originally seemed.

"Eva told me a little bit about that group you were in, Dumbledore's Army?"

"Yes, what about it?"

"This is the same sort of thing, isn't it?" Dee asked. "Standing up against the dark forces? The only difference is that Fohn hasn't gained the same sort of foothold as You-Know-Who, and he doesn't have the same magical ability. Think of what would happen if he ever got into power though? He keeps going on about the Minister for Magic's prejudices, and if he keeps gaining supporters they might one day be able to depose Minister Shacklebolt. Who d'you think they'll put into power then? And what would Fohn do with real power? You can bet your broomstick he wouldn't leave it as only talk. Now that might not be an issue for you, a pureblood, but -"

"Fohn and the likes of him wouldn't consider my son pureblood though, with a grandmother who was Muggle-born?"

All three women turned to stare at James who was banging Gryffin on the ground happily, oblivious to the cold draft that seemed to have entered the room. Ginny watched him closely, feeling her heart race at the thought of any harm coming to him, let alone the likes of what the Death Eaters could do.

"I'll do it," she said, jumping out of her seat and racing to gather James up in her arms.


	10. Chapter Nine: SPELL & Birthdays

Someone had been eavesdropping on their conversation in the Leaky Cauldron. They knew this to be a fact because first thing Monday morning a large headline was splashed across the Daily Prophet: WEASLEY PLOTS TO DEMOLISH FOHN.

"Jordana's going to do her nut," Ginny said, alternating between feeding James and eating more of her cereal.

"Never mind Jordana," Molly said. "What about you? You're just asking for trouble getting mixed up with these S.P.E.L.L. lot. Don't you worry about James if something happens to you?"

"I'm more worried about what might happen to him if I don't do anything." Ginny tweaked James's nose which made him laugh.

She made light of the matter so neither James or her mother would worry, but the truth was that Ginny was very worried about it. She refused to let James out of her arms the remainder of the time they were at the Leaky Cauldron and she wouldn't let him out of her sight once they got home. Even when she went to bed, she kept having horrible visions of him sitting alone in the middle of a battlefield, or screaming as he was being carried away by some faceless woman that she felt she ought to know. She'd had to relent and take a swig of dreamless sleep potion.

It was a good thing that Ginny was relatively well-rested the following day. She expected Jordana's wrath the moment she walked into the changing rooms. What she had not expected was difficulty getting into the stadium in the first place.

The largest crowd outside of game days was gathered outside the stadium. When Ginny arrived at her usual time they descended on her like a hoard of angry bees, and she ended up having to pull out her broom and fly to the entrance. She was relatively safe here because she was separated from the crowd by a line of magical law enforcement patrol.

"Bloody hell!" she said when she walked through the doors.

"This is because you've decided to battle Fohn," Jordana stated, making Ginny jump. They had met rather sooner than she would have liked. "I've had to call in the magical law enforcement patrol to control that crowd. They are intent on having your head on a platter."

"So I noticed," Ginny replied, clutching her broom more tightly.

"And with all the racket they're making you lot are going to have a very hard time focusing on practice, which means we're sure to lose another match. Blimey, Weasley, if you weren't such a damn good player . . . "

Jordana started to walk away, muttering under her breath. Her words had shocked Ginny into a total standstill, but she recovered quickly and called her manager to wait. Since the subject had already been broached it was best to make sure Jordana was OK with it before she starting making grand plans with Dee.

"D'you know about Keddle's friend Dee – Diandra Alvin?"

"No. Should I?" Jordana stopped walking, tapping her wand against her thigh.

"I think you should. She's been leading this group called S.P.E.L.L. – Society for the Promotion of Equality in Life and Love. They're kind of the anti-Fohn group, and they asked me to join up to try and raise awareness. I've decided to do it, but I wanted to make sure you were OK with it."

"This is a first," Jordana replied after staring at Ginny in shock for several seconds. "You don't usually ask before you do these sorts of things things."

"Yeah, I know, but I just thought – Ginny started. She had a whole argument worked out to help her persuade Jordana that this was the right thing for her to do.

"I can't control what you do on your own time, Weasley, Just make sure it doesn't affect your performance. We want to win the Quidditch Cup, remember."

"Yeah," Ginny said rather weakly. She had been prepared for a huge battle, and now felt slightly deflated. Jordana seemed to realize what she had done. She gave Ginny a rare smile and clapped her on the shoulder before she started taking long strides. She had covered half the distance to the fireplaces when she turned back.

"Give him hell."

Her statement made Ginny smile, probably the only time she did so all week.

Jordana's prediction turned out to be true. On Monday, the first day the crowds appeared, the Harpies spent two of their precious ten hours huddled in the changing rooms while the law enforcement patrol extinguished and then tracked down the wizard who'd set fiendfyre loose in the stands. On Tuesday the company that Jordana hired to repair the damage from Monday's fire was infiltrated by some of Fohn's supporters. One of them aimed a curse at Ginny. She missed most of it, but still felt a burning on the side of her face, and the warm trickle of blood. Howard hit a Bludger at the one responsible, knocking her out cold. Adrasteia healed the cut immediately but adamantly refused to let Ginny fly anymore that day. It was hard to say if Jordana was any angrier than Ginny.

Wednesday and Thursday were relatively productive days, with only minor holdups in practice while people who had snuck into the stadium were hauled away to the Ministry to be charged with trespass. With all the lost time during the week, though, Ginny knew she wasn't the only one on the team who was convinced that they would lose to the Kestrals the following day.

What saved them was that the Kestrals were also convinced that the Harpies would lose.

"We were lucky," Gwenog said to Jetta Jettison after the match. "They fumbled some easy goals and we were able to catch the Quaffle on rebound. And Keddle made a truly spectacular catch of the Snitch."

Privately the team weren't as pleased as they would have been if the Kestrals hadn't assumed that they were going to play poorly, but Jordana cheered them up somewhat.

"It wasn't your best performance, no, but that's what a damn good team does: uses their opponent's weaknesses against them."

"I don't think we'll have it this easy again," Gwenog stated, shouldering her bag. "But we'll deal with that next week, shall we?"

"I didn't see James here," Keddle said when she and Ginny were the last in the changing rooms."

"I didn't bring him today. I wasn't sure what sort of madness we'd be in for." Ginny gestured widely around the room, thinking of the many security enhancements that had been put in place specially for the match.

""Oh. That was probably smart." Keddle pulled the drawstring closed on her bag. "Are you still going to meet with Dee tonight?"

"I am. I'm heading there now."

Ginny and Dee hadn't had much time to talk over the week because of all the preparations for the upcoming match, but they had agreed on one thing: they would not discuss anything publicly until they had decided on how best to get their message out. Dee had wanted to meet for the second time on Saturday morning but Ginny vetoed that because of James's birthday party. They were going to meet at a Muggle cafe on Friday evening after the match. It was less likely that their conversations would be overheard and reported to the Prophet that way.

"Ah, Miss Weasley, I was hoping I might run into you.

Ginny let out an impatient growl as she turned to see who had called her. She was standing mere feet away from a tall man with sandy hair, slicked back from his face, a bushy mustache of the same colour, and wearing a pinstriped cloak over the same type of robes: Barnabus Cuffe, editor of the Daily Prophet.

"And what would you like, Mr. Cuffe?" she asked impatiently and rather rudely. She couldn't bring herself to be nice to a man who was devoting so much space in his paper to the likes of Rita Skeeter and Declan Fohn, not to mention employing the scoundrel who tried to extort money from her to keep his ink bottle capped.

"To ask you about this new group you are forming with a –" He consulted a piece of parchment he had in his hand – " Diandra Alvin. Rumor has it you're calling it Society for the Promotion of Equality in Life and Love, S.P.E.L.L. for short. Is this true?"

Ginny's jaw dropped. She and Dee had only agreed on the name this morning by owl. The only person she had told was Jordana. Either someone was reading her mail, or the walls had ears. Unfortunately her reaction was as good as confirmation for Cuffe.

"Why that particular name?" he asked, quill poised over his parchment. "Is it to directly counter Mr. Fohn's Wizards Against Nobility Debasement?"

"I'm not ready to talk about this yet." Ginny pushed past him. "Good evening, Mr. Cuffe."

"So you are planning on taking on Declan Fohn, then?" he asked as she took long strides in an effort to get away from him.

"Why? Are you part of his fan club? Going to run right to your beloved and tell him?" Ginny spun on her heel to face Cuffe again.

"Not at all. I'll let you in on a little secret, Ginny," he said, closing the distance. "I hope you do give him a run for his money. It makes for great copy."

Ginny let out another disgusted sigh.

"I don't know why I'm surprised by that. You do employ Rita Skeeter and Mr. corduroy suit man, who spent most of last week following me around. He may have a drinking problem, you know."

"I don't have anyone in my employ who wears a corduroy suit," Cuffe said.

"Sure you do. Not much taller than me, has pouchy cheeks like a squirrel, probably smells like stale Firewhisky most of the time, and likes to extort money from people in exchange for not writing stories about them."

"No, I'm sorry. You've obviously met an impostor posing as one of my staff. It's happened more than once, I'm afraid."

"But –" Ginny said helplessly. She wanted to continue arguing but couldn't think of anything more to say. Cuffe was serious. He did not recognize the man she was talking about.

"I will look into it, of course. My reporters don't need to extort money for stories. Now, getting back to this society you are setting up with Miss. Alvin? Can you tell me more about why you called it what you did?"

"Because Fohn's an idiot," Ginny said quickly. She could feel her nerves tingling. "He thinks that pure-bloods deserve a special status but what he doesn't realize is that there isn't anyone out there who is truly pure of wizarding blood. We couldn't have survived if it wasn't for Muggles. And having 'Muggle blood" running through your veins doesn't dilute your magical ability, or whatever rubbish Fohn and his kind thing. My sister in-law is a perfect example, as was Harry's mum. We need to do away with this ridiculous blood status classification system. Fohn and his supporters call themselves W.A.N.D. but without a spell a wand us a useless stick of wood. We'd be just as useless a society, regardless of our magical abilities, without the Muggles who have helped keep us alive."

It was more than she should have said, Ginny knew, but she was shaken up by the news that this reporter wasn't who he said he was. She wanted to talk to Tougas about it, so she hurried away, ignoring the rest of Cuffe's questions. She headed straight for the café where she was supposed to meet Dee, deciding that it would be quicker to tell her what had happened and why they would have to reschedule.

"You don't think this is going to be a repeat of what happened with Keddle and Chase, do you?" she asked, pulling her jacket off the back of the chair and putting it on.

"No. No, I don't think so," Ginny said as they were heading out the door. "No. he didn't have the same sort of arrogance as Chase. But there's definitely something off about this. That's why I want to talk to Tougas."

The atrium at the Ministry was completely deserted, except for the security wizard who was sitting at his desk reading that morning's edition of the Daily Prophet. He folded the paper and set it on the desk when he heard Ginny approaching.

"I need to see Bredan Tougas of the Auror Department," she said quickly, already handing over her wand. The wizard took it with a blank expression on his face. He was obviously not used to getting visitors this late in the evening.

"I'm sorry, the Ministry is closed. Perhaps you can come back tomorrow, Miss." He handed her wand back to her with a cheesy smile.

"Then send him a memo or something and tell him to come here. It's urgent that I talk to him tonight."

"He's probably gone home already, Miss. Weasley," the guard said, his smile morphing into something vindictive when he dropped the pretense that he didn't know who she was.

"Not likely. He practically lives here," Ginny said. "And he'll be very pleased with you for playing politics rather than doing your job. I don't think the Ministry would be very likely to keep you in their employ if they knew you were a supporter of Declan Fohn."

She had taken a shot and got lucky. The smile slid off the guard's face.

"I'll send it right away," he said and was as good as his word. Within moments Tougas sent word for her to come up. Ginny wondered why he hadn't just come down to see her.

Her question was answered the minute she stepped off the lifts. The atrium may have been deserted, or nearly so, but Auror headquarters was abuzz. The entire task force was on the move and looked like they were ready to set out. Tonks waved at her, but was busy pulling on a dark traveling cloak and didn't come over.

"What's going on?" Ginny and Tougas asked at the exact same moment when they saw each other.

"We've got a lead on Lestrange and are about to head out," Tougas said as Rossi passed them, not making eye contact.

"Maybe I should come back then?"

"No. Just tell me why you're here. Quickly."

Ginny felt a little stupid following him around as he and the others prepared to set off. She also wondered if maybe she was starting to get a bit paranoid. She hadn't considered that the man worked for a different publication, for example.

"Maybe he was just trying to get some extra money after all," she said thoughtfully when she had finished explaining about her meeting with Barnabus Cuffe. Tougas looked perplexed for a moment and then he remembered what she was talking about. He swore under his breath, glancing at the others who were all assembled and waiting for him.

"I'll look into it," he said. "But I've got to go now."

"OK," Ginny said thinking she just might do some digging on her own. This thought seemed to show on her face.

"Don't try sleuthing again, Weasley," Tougas warned. "We've already had the discussion about what could happen if you interfere in this investigation again. Stay out of it, no matter what you might hear."

Immediately upon making that curious statement Tougas Disapparated. It wasn't until Ginny got home that she realized he had said anything odd. He had talked of the two cases as though they were somehow related. How was this connected to Harry's disappearance? And what might she hear that would make her act differently than she'd been doing?

"How was the match?" Molly asked, coming out of James' bedroom and interrupting Ginny's thoughts.

"Fine. We won," Ginny said distractedly, turning over Tougas's curious statement in her mind. He knew something about Harry that he wasn't telling her. But what?

"You don't seem pleased about it. I'd have thought –"

"No, I am, mum," Ginny said, smiling at her mother and deciding to try and decipher Tougas's curious behaviour later. "Thanks again for watching James. How was he?"

"Delightful as always. He seems to have taken to the elderly man who lives downstairs, doesn't he? Mr. Thomas stopped here not too long ago to borrow a cup of sugar, and James practically leapt at him. He called him dada. You should have seen the poor man's reaction. He looked so miserable that I invited him in for a cup of tea."

"You did what?" Ginny asked, pulling her head out of James's room quickly. "Why would you do that, mum?"

"I felt bad for him, Ginny," Molly replied, giving her a stern look that clearly meant Ginny needed to watch her tone.

"But he's virtually a stranger!"

"Maybe so, but he can hardly be dangerous, can he? You did say that Tougas investigated him, didn't you?"

"Well, yeah, but -"

"Then there isn't anything to worry about, is there? It's not like I asked him to mind James while I went to the market."

"No, it's not, but -"

"You need to trust your old mum, Ginny. I know you are worried for James, but you don't need to fear anything from Peter."

"Peter? You're on a first name basis?" Ginny eyed her mother incredulously.

"Yes. We had a great talk about children, Peter and I. He told me all about his son, whom he says he didn't get to spend much time with because he was always away due to work."

"He mentioned that to me, too," Ginny said, speaking in a whisper as she at last made her way into James's room to satisfy herself that he was safe and sound.

"I think he's still working. At his age! We were enjoying our tea when he pulled out one of those what-do-you-call-thems, a fellytone?"

"Telephone?" Ginny said, nodding.

"Yes. Pulled it right out of his pocket. Didn't look anything like the one's in your father's shed that he thinks I don't know about. But he pulled it out, talked to someone for a minute and then hurried out of here just as quick as you please."

"People are in a rush all over the place tonight, Tougas practically ran over me to get out of the Ministry when I finished talking to him."

"What did you talk to him for?"

Ginny cursed herself for speaking out of turn again because it now she had to tell her mother at least part of the story, which she did, trying to make light of it so as not to cause too much worry.

"This is all because of that Spell group that you've joined up with," Molly said at once. "Its no good, Ginny. I know you want to stop that Declan Fohn, but -"

"We're not having this conversation again, mum," GInny replied. They'd been having some derivation of it all week.

"I'm not telling you these things because I like arguing with you," Molly stated in her stern voice again. "I just think that sometimes you get too fired up and don't think of what could happen to you, or to James."

"I won't let anything happen to him," Ginny said angrily.

"But you're not always around, and you can't predict everything that's going to happen. For instance, I was just reading in the Prophet about Narcissa Malfoy - and it made me think of you."

"Are you saying I remind you of Narcissa Malfoy?" Ginny asked, revolted at the very idea.

"I would be a very poor mother indeed if you turned out anything like that woman!" Molly sounded as offended as GInny felt. "I merely bring her up because her situation reminded me a little of yours, Ginny. I'm sure, in her twisted way, she did what she thought was right and it cost her her son."

"That's because her son was an idiot! I can promise you, mum, that James isn't going to grow up to become a Death Eater! I'll be careful, but I can't back out of this. Dee and the others are counting on me."

Molly stared at Ginny for a very long time, with an unreadable expression, but the very fact that she wasn't saying anything or swelling like an angry bullfrog was a good sign, For once Ginny thought she had been able to persuade her mother that she was right.

"Be sure that you are careful," she said at last, kissing Ginny on the forehead. "I couldn't bear it if something were to happen you you, and James doesn't deserve to lose another parent. . . "

• •

James knew something special was going on. From the moment he woke up on Saturday morning he was in a state of extreme excitement and energy, as though he had already ate an entire birthday cake himself. He bounced around in his crib and more than once sent an object zooming across the room.

"OK, OK, you're my little wizard, Jay," Ginny said, laughing. "But if you don't let me get this jumper on you we'll never get to the Burrow.

James looked at her, his eyes wide as saucers, as though she'd uttered a threat. he sat remarkably still thereafter. He was a genius at times, her boy.

Ginny and James were delayed leaving when a grey owl tapped his claw on the window. Ginny hurried to open it, worried as she always was about what Hugh or Mr. Thomas would say if they saw her receiving owl post.

The letter was from Dee. Ginny scanned it quickly, prepared for a lecture on the statement she had given to Barnabus Cuffe the previous day. Dee, however, was ecstatic.

"We've been inundated with owls," she wrote. "Some are from Fohn's supporters asking us how we could allow you to say anything against him, but most are from people who've never heard of us before and are glad someone has finally vowed to put a stop to Fohn's rubbish. We've even got letters from people who want to volunteer. It's fantastic. I'll keep you posted."

Ginny and James arrived late at the Burrow because Ginny had to immediately reply to Dee. She felt as enthusiastic as Dee sounded. She had been worried that people wouldn't listen to anything she had to say. She was, after all, only a Quidditch player. If they were already starting to take action though . . . that was beyond fantastic.

"You've made the guest of honor late to his own party, Bill said when they finally walked through the door at the Burrow. In one deft move he picked up Riley who was racing past, spun round again, kissed GInny on the cheek and ruffled James's hair. "Are you going to say Happy birthday to James?"

"Happy burfday," Riley said, a small speech impediment because he was missing two of his front teeth. He squirmed until Bill set him down. "Is it time for cake yet?"

"Is that all you and your brother think about?" Bill asked.

"Hope it's chocolate." Riley smiled widely when Bill playfully kicked him in the bottom. He ran away laughing.

"Getting as bad as their uncles, those two are," Bill said. "How are you Gin? Sorry we couldn't make the match last night."

"It's all right," she said, setting James on the counter so she could remove his coat. "The Kestrals thought we were going to blow it so they didn't really show up. Jordana was happy we won."

"Well, yeah. One step closer to the Quidditch Cup, aren't you?" Charlie said. He had overheard their conversation when he raced into the room with Teddy Lupin held in one arm and Simon close on his heels. "Damned portkey was late leaving last night or I'd have been there for sure."

"Maybe when we're playing for the cup then," Ginny replied.

"Wouldn't miss it." Charlie took James in his other arm and ran away with him and Teddy. Riley and Simon followed him.

"Be careful with them," Tonks called as she and Lupin came into the kitchen. "Teddy's been looking forward to this all day."

"So has James," Ginny replied She and Tonks hugged. "How'd your mission go last night."

"Last night?" Tonks suddenly looked less like a friend and more like an Auror. "What do you know about last night?"

"I was there, wasn't I?" Ginny asked, elaborating when Tonks continued to stare at her as though she was a suspect she was interrogating. "I had come to talk to Tougas when you were getting ready to attack Lestrange."

Tonks relaxed.

"That didn't go well at all. Lestrange brought more Death Eaters than we'd anticipated and one of them had a fondness for blowing things up. He exploded a large boulder injuring Ha - half of us. He got some of his own side though, so hopefully we'll get some answers from them. Maybe we can finally get Lestrange again and bring this bloody case to an end."

"Finally," Ginny agreed, watching Tonks closely. "What were you really going to say?"

"When?"

"Just then. You started to say something else and changed it to say half of us. Were you going to say Harry? Was he with you last night?"

"I never said that," Tonks said angrily. She took a deep breath and spoke more calmly. "I know you want to believe he's still out there, Ginny, but you have to stop asking these questions. It won't do you any good."

Before Ginny could reply, which she was anxious to do because Tonks hadn't really answered her question, a baby cried. She recognized James at once, but stood still for a moment, torn between going to her son, and hopefully getting some answers. His second cry made the decision easier. Knowing that she wouldn't get anything else of out Tonks, Ginny headed for the sitting room.

Hermione was holding James in her arms and heading for the kitchen. She looked as tearful as James did.

"It's all my fault," she said before GInny could ask what happened. "He was playing with Teddy. I know I should have left him to it, but I just wanted to give him a quick hug. He wriggled out of my arms and hit the edge of the coffee table. I'm sorry, Ginny. So sorry."

Taking James from Hermione, Ginny retrieved her bag and grabbed the bottle of Dittany Adrasteia had instructed to keep with her all the time. She applied a few drops and the scrape disappeared at once. She cleaned away the tiny bit of blood and then kissed his temple.

"All better," she said in a happy tone to soothe James. "No harm, and Aunt Hermione has learned the importance of keeping a firm grip on a child before lifting him up. It's something she'll be able to apply when her own baby is born."

"I'm not pregnant," Hermione said, speaking in a monotone. She turned her head away, trying to surreptitiously wipe away a tear.

"Oh. Well, I'm sure you will be soon, and then you can deal with all the blood and diapers and crying."

This was apparently quite the wrong thing to say.

"How can you say such things when you've got this beautiful little boy who adores you? Oh, it makes me so angry to know that you've got this little miracle and you don't care. It isn't fair that you didn't even want him when I - when there are so many people out there who want children and can't have them."

"I never, ever said I didn't want James," Ginny said, angered by the very suggestion. "It was just unexpected when it happened."

Hermione harrumphed disbelievingly. She turned and fled the house and a second later Ginny heard the unmistakable sound of her Disapparating.

"Ron?" Ginny called loudly.

"What?"

"Come here, I need to talk to you."

She sounded angry and so he approached with caution, looking around the kitchen when he entered.

"Where's Hermione?"

"She left."

"Left? Where'd she go?"

"Home, I reckon, after she bit my head off and accused me of not appreciating my son."

"Oh." Ron's face fell and he flopped into a chair, running his hands through his hair. He didn't seem surprised at what Hermione had said.

"She said something just now that . . . Can she not have children?" Ginny asked, sitting down across from Ron. She balanced James on her knee. "I thought she was pregnant already."

"We thought she was," Ron admitted, rubbing his chin. "She read up on the spell to check, as Hermione does, but she must have done the spell wrong because when she went to the healer yesterday he told her that she wasn't."

"Did he also say that she couldn't ever have children, because that's what she just said to me."

"No. He said it could take time," Ron said.

"That's true."

"It's been a year already. Or nearly that, and nothing. She's got it into her head that there's something wrong with her because she was an only child."

"I'm sure everything is fine and the two of you just need to stop trying to rush into it. It will happen when it happens."

Ron jerked his head and then he got up and started pacing back and forth from the back door to the entrance of the scullery.

"What if it's my fault?" he asked, stopping on his third turn. "What if I can't give her what she wants? I can't even cheer her up anymore."

Ginny wasn't entirely sure if Ron wanted an answer to this question. He started pacing again without waiting, and she decided he was just thinking out loud. She didn't like to see him like this. He looked lost.

"What do you think we should do, James?" she asked, hugging him and planting a kiss on his cheek. Looking at her son did give her an inspiration. "Adrasteia!"

"What?" Ron asked, stopping mid-stride.

"Adrasteia Gerard. You know her. She's the healer I saw when I was pregnant with James, the friend of Tougas's, remember? She's also taken on the team as well, if we've got some sort of injury that a mediwizard can't handle. She's really good and she might have something that can help you guys."

"D'you think she'd be able to help?" Ron asked doubtfully.

"She'd probably have the best shot. She knows her stuff, Adrasteia, and she's not afraid of . . . giving unconventional advice." Ginny didn't elaborate. Ron might be a little unlike himself at the moment, but he would make a reappearance if she told him how Adrasteia had helped her get past what happened with Dudley. "It might take a while to get an appointment, but I can send her a letter right away if you want."

"I suppose there's no harm in it," Ron said. "I'd better tell Hermione though."

Ron's departure disrupted the festive atmosphere for some minutes as he tried to explain that Hermione hadn't been feeling well and that she had already gone home. He was going to tend to her. Tonks jumped up as though something had bit her and said that she, Lupin and Teddy had to leave as well. Something urgent had come up at work, she said. Ginny didn't miss the quick glance in her direction, but she wasn't given the opportunity to point out that no correspondence of any kind had come and being in the kitchen she Was in the best position to see it come in.

"Come on, Ginny, cake and presents," Fred said when she stared out the window, watching the Lupins leave.

"Yeah, all right."

James's birthday cake was a plain slab with scarlet icing and a very well done image of Gryffin. The icing had been enchanted so that he paced the inner borders of the cake.

"I couldn't find the spell for auditory attributes," Molly said.

"Well that just ruins the whole cake," Fred stated.

"Yeah, mum, you're slipping," George replied.

"Shut it, you two," their mum stated, swatting their arms.

After a quick chorus of Happy Birthday they dug in. Riley and Simon were pleased that it was chocolate, and James had a grand time getting the cake everywhere but in his mouth. Fred and George might have helped him along a bit.

When it came time for presents James had more fun with the wrapping than he did the actual gifts. His grandparents got him several new jumpers ("I'm having a hard time keeping up with the pace these children are growing," Molly said). From Bill and Fleur James got a set of talking blocks that sang the alphabet in both English and French.

"We 'ave modified zem you see," Fleur stated. "'E needs to be able to speak with our children. And eet is best eef 'e learns early."

Charlie's present caused Ginny momentary panic. It was, of course, a small dragon that looked so realistic that she thought he might have lost his mind and bought James a baby dragon. He assured her that it was a toy welsh green, perfectly safe for a small child.

"If he loses any body parts, I'm replacing them with some of yours, Charlie," Ginny replied, watching James amble after the toy.

Percy's present was easily the most surprising. Ginny expected some sort of book, or other boring item, but instead she opened a nice set of short black robes with yet another replica of Gryffin on the back.

"Audrey picked them out," Percy said proudly, gazing at his girlfriend sappily as they held hands.

"I see a theme developing here," Ginny said. "We've already pegged him for a Gryffindor. What happens if he ends up in Ravenclaw?"

"We'll disown him, of course," George replied. "Open ours. We chipped in with Ron and Hermione."

It was a child-sized Firebolt 4, a replica of the exact broom Ginny flew for the Harpies.

"It's even got a safety harness for younger riders," Fred said, pulling it out of the box. "So we can start training him up for when he goes to Hogwarts. He's got to be on the Gryffindor team. Let's go."

As they stood in a circle and watched Fred and George take turns holding onto an ecstatic James, Ginny was suddenly reminded of a similar scene she'd watched from her bedroom window the day after Ikey, the Harpies mediwitch, had told her she was pregnant. She had watched Harry, Ron, Fred and George teaching Riley and Simon how to ride a broom. At that time she hadn't fully accepted that she was pregnant, but she had still considered a similar scene in which she and Harry would be teaching their child how to ride.

"You're thinking about him again." Charlie wasn't asking and he didn't need to elaborate. "Don't bother trying to lie, Gin. Your expression gives you away every time."

"Yeah, I guess I was," she said heavily.

"It's a waste of time, Ginny. He's not coming back."

Ginny started to mount a counter-argument. She couldn't just turn off her thoughts, could she, but she realized that saying so would be the real waste of energy.

James didn't exactly grow tired of the broom, but when he started to get cold and cranky Ginny called an end to the fun. She thought it best to take him home rather than stay over at the Burrow because she knew Charlie was going to tell Bill that she'd been thinking of Harry again and then they would probably gang up on her. She didn't want to face that, so bundled James up, tucked all his presents into the capacious depths of her magically extended bag and headed home.

James had already come down from his sugar high. He barely stirred when Ginny changed him into his pajamas, and he was deeply asleep when she put him in his crib.

Hugh dropped by about an hour after Ginny and James returned. He had a small cake from the local baker's.

"That was thoughtful," Ginny said, inviting him in. "You didn't need to do that."

"He's only going to have one first birthday," he said, shrugging.

Hugh stayed for a cup of tea, wanting to hear all about the birthday party. Ginny told him as much as she dared, even about Ron and Hermione's troubles. He agreed not to repeat anything to them because she realized too late that Ron had probably meant to keep their talk between them.

"You did the right thing," he said. "When it comes to medical procedures I always find a second opinion helpful."

"Yeah, and Adrasteia's the best. Her magic - I mean, it's like magic what she can do."

Hugh smiled and once again Ginny had to wonder what was behind it. She was visited again by the impossible idea that he knew about the magical world. How could he though? Muggles weren't supposed to know anything about it.

"You keep smirking, what's that all about?" she asked at last, hoping to ferret out what he knew. It would be nice to end the day with an answer to one of the many questions she had.

"Oh, nothing," he said, still smiling as he stood up. "You just have some of the strangest expressions I've ever heard. Now, I really have to get back upstairs. I have a huge presentation to give on Monday and a lot of work to do."

Ginny walked him to the door, and wished him luck on his presentation. She watched him walk up a few stairs before she stepped out of her flat and onto the landing.

"Hugh, wait a moment,"

"Yes?" He retraced his steps.

"Thanks again for the cake," she said, and without allowing a second to think it through, she kissed him.


	11. Chapter Ten: The Auror's Stratagem

The first thing Ginny saw when she once again stepped into the atrium was the same security guard who had tried to give her a hard time two weeks earlier. She sighed disgustedly. She would rather be home catching up on the sleep James had been denying her than dealing with someone who followed a rapidly deteriorating leader. The guard didn't feign unfamiliarity this time, he just stood, tipped his hat to her and waved her through without even asking to see her wand. She wondered if Tougas had told him to expect her, or if her subtle threat was still working on him. She suspected the former.

The clanging of the lifts seemed to die away much sooner than usual when Ginny stepped out on the second floor. The Auror offices were almost completely deserted, only a few heads could be seen over the walls of their cubicles. It was hardly surprising to see that very few people chose to work on a Saturday night, but the sight of such little activity made her uneasy.

"Weasley, at last!"

Ginny jumped at the sound of her name spoken loudly by Tougas. Trying to act as though she had done no such thing, she turned to see him exiting the very room in which she had finally told Harry that she was pregnant.

"Sorry, late running practice. And then it was impossible to get away from Dee. She's up in arms about Fohn's support of Lestrange. Can you believe -"

A second door opened and Dawlish stepped out, closely followed by Declan Fohn. He was barely recognizable without his smug smile and with a five o'clock shadow darkening his usually clean shaven chin.

"Miss. Weasley?" He seemed as startled to see Ginny as she was to see him. "You aren't here to start another war of words are you, because I'd much prefer -"

"I had no idea you were here," Ginny said impatiently. "I don't have anything more to say to you anyway, Mr. Fohn. Dee - Diandra and I just hope to bring some sense to your followers before it's too late for them. If you'll excuse me, I need to talk privately with Tougas."

Fohn nodded and headed for the lifts. It took a great deal of restraint for GInny not to watch him walk away. She guessed that he was having a more difficult time of it now that S.P.E.L.L. was gaining their own supporters, and she was glad of it. If they were able to keep up the momentum W.A.N.D. might soon be extinct and then less deluded people would be able to sleep better.

"He was here for questioning about Lestrange," Tougas said once Fohn was out of earshot and before she could ask. "Such an about face in so short a time frame usually indicates Lestrange has got to someone. I don't think he said anything useful though, judging from the frown on Dawlish's face."

He ushered Ginny into the room Dawlish had just exited and gestured for her to sit down. She did, placing her bag on the table. Tougas didn't sit, instead he leant against the table and folded his arms.

"What about the blackmailer?" Ginny asked, rubbing her tired eyes. "Did you find him?"

"No, but I've done some digging and don't think you have anything to worry about. He's not another Chase in the making. I reckon he just wanted to get close to you and blackmail was the first thing he could think of. Since you haven't seen hide nor hair of him for the last fortnight I think it's safe to say you've scared him off."

"Who was he, though? Where did he come from?" Ginny demanded.

"Still working on that," Tougas replied. When he saw the annoyed expression on Ginny's face he added, "You're lucky I've been able to find out that much with all the waste of time leads I've been following up on. These break-ins are her style, but I'll be damned if I can find any evidence that Lestrange is involved at all."

"Oh?" Ginny sat up straighter in her chair. She knew as much about the recent break-ins as most people who read through to to the end of the the Daily Prophet. She was starting to feel uneasy though because they had picked up in frequency in the last fortnight and were all in London, the most recent had been in St. John's Wood and Holland Park and were getting a little too close for comfort. It had been her hope that the Aurors were getting closer to catching Lestrange, but if the very theory they'd been working on was wrong it didn't seem likely that these break-ins would stop any time soon. "Who do you think it is, then? Some rogue Death Eaters?"

"Doubtful there are any rogue Death Eaters. Not unless they have a death wish. No, I think that if it's not Lestrange herself, it's someone that works closely with her. They're probably acting on her orders."

"Looking for what?" Ginny asked.

"Not what, who."

Ginny nodded. She didn't need Tougas to elaborate because it was quite obvious he was referring to the theory he and Kingsley shared, that Lestrange was looking for her, to use as a pawn in her game to get Harry to come out of hiding. If Harry was actually in hiding, of course.

Standing up she slung her bag over her shoulder. Before she left she had one more question to ask Tougas though.

"Can you clear something up for me before I go?" She waited for him to nod before continuing. "The day after you last dueled with Lestrange, Tonks said you had some unexpected help. She made it sound like that was Harry."

"And?" Tougas asked impatiently.

"Was she right? Was he there with the task force that night?"

"You just love your grand conspiracy theories, don't you, Weasley?" he asked angrily. "Tonks would be the last person we would tell. She'd be sure to blab to you. No, Potter wasn't there. She was talking about Harrison. He's a new recruit that shouldn't have been with us and he got rather badly injured. We had to take him to Adrasteia. She was able to heal him quietly and he's back on his feet now. He went home today. She had her hands full for the last fortnight, but at least now she'll have a hope of seeing your brother and sister-in-law this decade."

Ginny watched him closely, trying to detect any trace of a lie, but she could find nothing except for his usual obstinate expression and eventually she had to concede that his story at least made sense. The Auror office certainly wouldn't want a story to spread about the injury of an unqualified Auror. It also explained why Adrasteia had only recently responded to the letter Ginny had sent on James's birthday.

"OK," she said, sighing. "Keep me posted on the blackmailer. Oh, but I'll be away for the next few days, so don't send me any post unless absolutely necessary. And you don't need to hurry with the wards around the flat. No one's going to be there for a few days."

"Already taken care of," Tougas replied as he followed her to the door. "You off to some special Quidditch camp to prepare for the match against the Wasps next week?"

"No need for that. I've never lost against them," Ginny replied. "Nope, I'm getting away from town for a while. James, Hugh and I are going camping this weekend."

She left Tougas looking stunned.

Hugh has suggested the trip three days earlier, the very evening that Ginny had told him she had the time off. Jordana and Gwenog had been working the team harder than ever for the last fortnight, and finally decided that they needed a few days off to recuperate before the match on Friday. She'd been reluctant to go in the beginning, worrying about his expectations. In the end, once the tent situation was sorted out, she found that she was looking forward to it. Getting away from London and Quidditch was very appealing to her at the moment.

Only two problems marred her eager anticipation: how she was going to manage without magic for two days and not look like a complete prat, and what would happen if James did something with his magic. She was considering how to handle such a situation as she approached the lifts and was so inattentive that she walked right into Declan Fohn.

"Sorry," she said before realizing who it was. She punched the down button. "What are you still doing here? Don't you have more children to corrupt? More hateful messages to spread?"

Fohn shrugged, standing with his hands in his pockets. He was uncharacteristically speechless and Ginny decided she preferred him this way. The lifts arrived and they stepped in without speaking. Could they make it all the way back to the atrium without exchanging another word? That was a happy thought indeed.

"How is your son?" Fohn asked when the lift started moving.

"That's none of your damn business," she said, immediately pointing her wand at him. "You just stay the hell away from him. If you get any ideas about trying anything, I'll -"

The lift doors opened, revealing a man of medium height standing just outside. He didn't move forward like he was going to get into the lift, or step back to let Ginny and Fohn pass. He looked between them with raised eyebrows.

"I would lower my wand if I were you, Miss. Weasley," he said with a level of contempt that made it clear that he worked for Fohn.

"I'll be happy to, once this vermin is out of my sight."

Fohn glanced quickly between Ginny and his supporter, almost as though he was sizing them up. Before she could be sure that's what happened, he sighed and stepped out of the lift. Ginny put her hand on the gate to hold it open while she waited for the two men to leave. She didn't want to ride up with them in the cramped telephone booth.

"I've always respected you, Ginny," Fohn said, startling her by using her given name as he turned round once more. "Just . . . Be careful."

The assistant seized Fohn by the arm and steered him rapidly towards the fireplaces, hurrying as though he was a bomb that might explode at any minute. Ginny thought briefly of aiming a hex at their retreating backs. Why did Fohn always have to have some hidden agenda? In one breath he says something nice, and then utters a threat? He'd deserve her hex.

Much as she wanted to sleep, Ginny had one additional stop to make. She entered the local grocer's to get provisions for the following day when they would be leaving at cock crow. She was feeling slightly resentful of the strangely large number of Muggles in the shop because it prevented her from tucking the two large and heavy sacks into her magical bag where the enchantment would have absorbed the weight.

The distance between the shop and her flat seemed to lengthen as Ginny walked, but at last she saw the tops of the tall cedars that formed the inner border of the courtyard, followed by the walls, and then the topmost floor of the building: Hugh's flat. A light was on in his window, but he came round the wall when she was still have a block away.

"You should have called," he reprimanded, taking the bags from her.

"It's no big deal." She shrugged, adjusting the magical bag containing her broom and Quidditch robes.

"No big deal? You look dead on your feet."

They entered the courtyard and Ginny automatically looked at the windows on the first and second floors. Her own flat was dark. Had Ron and Hermione fallen asleep on the job again? A light was on in Mr. Thomas's flat, however. She breathed a sigh of relief to know that he was back safely from his business trip. He'd been away for a fortnight.

"I was going to suggest a cup of tea," Hugh said, entering the building ahead of Ginny because she was holding the door open for him, "But you don't look up for it. I'll just come in and drop these off."

Hugh twisted out of her reach as Ginny tried to grab the bags.

"Git," she said, carefully reaching into her bag to extract the keys she rarely used. "If you're coming in you might as well stay for a cup of tea. Just remember to be quiet, I think James is sleeping."

It was completely silent and dark when they entered. Ginny said yes to Hugh's offer to make tea, led him into the kitchen and then she backtracked several steps to peer into James's room to check that he was asleep. She saw a foot dangling over the edge of the sofa and smiled. Ron and Hermione had definitely fallen asleep on the job again.

She knew a moment of heart stopping panic when she saw that James's crib was empty, but realized that he was probably sleeping with his aunt and uncle in the sitting room.

"Ron? Hermione?" Ginny called softly, creeping towards the sofa. When they didn't answer she knew she was right about everyone being asleep and a devilish thought came to her. She continued her approach, moving quieter than she had done before, intent on tickling Ron's socked foot. He always woke with a start, thinking that it was a spider crawling on him. He'd realize what happened quickly enough and would probably curse her, but it was his just punishment for falling asleep.

Ginny stretched out her hand, noting that she had to be careful because she could just make out James's form, asleep on Ron's chest. She breathed a sigh of relief to know he was safe. It didn't change her mind about scaring her brother, though and she stretched out her hand, looking up to make sure she didn't miss a moment of his reaction. She wasn't quite able to see his ginger hair so moved a foot closer. It was a a much darker head of untidy hair that she saw.

Every muscle in her body seized up, and Ginny stood for several minutes, hand still outstretched. It couldn't be!

She moved even closer and stared down at a scene she had so often thought about but had never actually imagined seeing: James asleep on his father's chest. There was no mistaking that they were related. They had similar untidy hair, the same thin nose, crooked smile (though neither was smiling now). They were both sleeping with their mouths slightly open. James had a fistful of Harry's shirt, and Harry had his arm wrapped protectively around his son.

"Who's that?" Hugh asked, several minutes later. He had walked up behind her and put his hands on her shoulders without Ginny noticing. He craned his neck to get a better look. "That's Harry, isn't it?"

It wasn't the edge in Hugh's voice that finally thawed Ginny's frozen limbs, She took a great gulp of air as her mind whirred into action, and a million thoughts started buzzing. One stood out among the rest though: It couldn't be a coincidence that not an hour earlier Fohn had warned her to be careful, and now Harry was back after nearly a year and a half? And where were Ron and Hermione? Even if Tougas hadn't seen fit to tell her Harry was going to suddenly reappear, Ron and Hermione wouldn't just vanish into thin air. No, this was some sort of Dark Magic . . . And James was in it's clutches. Her knees buckled and Ginny had to grab the wall to stop herself falling.

"It is him, isn't it?" Hugh asked again.

"No. I mean, yeah, but . . . I don't know. I . . . I'll . . . ." She grabbed Hugh's hand and dragged him to the door, constantly looking back to make sure that nothing was happening to James. She needed to get Hugh out of here, out of the sight and danger of magic. "I've got to sort this out. I'll see you in the morning. Please, just go."

"But -"

Ginny closed the door in his face and was hurrying back down the hall almost before the latch engaged. Her heart was thumping against her ribs and didn't let up even when she saw that nothing had changed in the seconds that she was gone. She approached the head of the sofa cautiously, drawing her wand and gripping it firmly as she tried to pick up James. The impostor tightened his grip and his eyes snapped open.

"Let go of my son," she said, touching the tip of her wand to the impostor's nose.

"Gin?" he asked, sounding groggy, his eyes unfocused. He didn't relinquish his grip on James though.

"Let go of my son or I will kill you." Her fingers were shaking as they held her wand, but she didn't let go. "I'm not going to tell you again."

He let go. Ginny immediately scooped James up and started backing away, keeping her wand raised. The impostor Harry sat up and reached into his pocket.

"Don't move!"

He didn't move from the sofa, but pulled a pair of glasses out of the pocket and put them on. Then he continued to watch Ginny back away not making any move to grab a wand or other magical device that could subdue or imprison. This lack of movement unsettled Ginny enough that she paused in the doorway of James's bedroom to consider her options. She could run, possibly into some sort of trap. She could try to hide at Hugh or Mr. Thomas's, but that would endanger them, too. She could stay and fight, risking potentially fatal injury to James.

"Gin, it's me," he said. It certainly sounded like Harry, but that would be the case if someone had used polyjuice potion. She couldn't trust her eyes or ears.

He came round the corner so that Ginny could see him again, and it looked like he was reaching for a wand this time. She drew back into the darkness of James's room as he started to fidget in her arms.

"Stay asleep," she whispered in a silent prayer.

"I know you didn't expect to see me here -"

"Stay the hell away from us." Ginny seized the second he recoiled to dart out of the room and head for the door.

"Gin, wait - Expecto Patronum."

She had her hand on the knob when the darkness was shattered by a blinding silver light. It was a giant stag that filled the hall from wall to wall. It cantered over to where Ginny and James were standing. James held out his hand to touch it, but the stag disappeared, and after a few seconds Harry's silhouette was visible again.

"Dada?" James looked at GInny sleepily for confirmation.

"Yeah," she agreed. Her voice cracked and she felt for the second time as though all the wind had been forced out of her lungs and she leant against the door to catch her breath. She didn't protest when Harry waved his hand and turned on some lights, and said nothing when he stowed his wand back in his pocket, nodded in understanding that they meant no harm to each other, and headed back into the sitting room.

Eventually Ginny let go of the doorknob and slowly made her way back down the hall on wobbly legs. The room felt like it was spinning when she at last reached the entrance to the sitting room, and she leaned against the wall to watch Harry, who was sitting on the sofa with his head in his hands and didn't immediately look up. It was safe to watch him when he sat like that, but when he finally lifted his head and their eyes met it felt like her head started spinning again and she retreated. She fell back on the one thing that had saved her for the past year when she couldn't deal with reality: taking care of her son. She retreated to James's room again, laying him down in the crib and watched him sleep.

"He really does have your eyes," Harry said quietly. She heard his slow approach but didn't turn round and soon he was standing right beside her.

"Where's Ron and Hermione?" It was the only thing Ginny could think to ask.

"Meeting with Adrasteia. Her schedule is wide open again." Harry turned so that he was facing her. He opened his mouth to speak again, to start offering explanations. She touched her finger to his lips, took him by the hand and led him from the room.

He tried to speak again once they were back in the sitting room, but Ginny once again silenced him. She let go of his hand and at last allowed herself to look at him properly. He was pale and gaunt as though he was recovering from some sort of illness, but otherwise unmistakable, but not possibly real. She brought her hand up to touch his hair, traced the faded outline of his scar, and down the side of his face to touch a small scar on his neck that he'd got when shaving and healed poorly. He swallowed, but said nothing. He was watching her almost unblinkingly.

"Harry?" she said, finally satisfying herself that he was really standing here before her.

"Yeah, it's me," he said, swallowing again.

"Where have you been?" Ginny asked, having to swallow down a painful lump in her throat. She didn't give him a chance to answer though, as she threw her arms around his neck and pulled his head down so she could kiss him. At first it was a very one sided kiss as Harry stood perfectly still, but then he slid one hand round her back and the other into her hair. They overbalanced and Ginny fell back on the sofa, dragging Harry with her. Her head hit something hard. She reached behind her and felt a jacket which she started to push out of her way, but Harry stopped kissing her to see what she was doing and when he did a frightened, disgusted sort of look came over his face and he sat up, putting his head in his hands again.

"It belongs to my downstairs neighbour," she explained. "He's a lonely old man who's taken to James, and likes to come up and have tea with mum when she's here."

"Yes, I know." Harry took the jacket from her, reached into the inside pocket and pulled out a bottle very much like the one the squirrelly faced reporter had guarded so assiduously that day at the Leaky Cauldron: Ogden's Old Firewhisky. Before she could tell him that she didn't fancy a drink, he opened the bottle and poured a small amount into his palm. It was thick and dark, like mud: polyjuice potion. "Ron and Hermione saw me coming in, disguised as the old man. They were in a rush and asked if I could mind him until you got back. If I hadn't fallen asleep -"

"I don't understand," Ginny said, shaking her head. Harry couldn't possibly be saying what it sounded like he was saying.

"The Peter Thomas that you know, doesn't exist. It's just a made up name, and I've been using the hairs of one of Tougas's neighbours. Tougas thought, and it turns out he was right, that it might be too dangerous for me to come back as myself yet. You've seen what's happened since that duel two weeks ago. Lestrange has started honing in on you. The attacks in St. John's -"

"You _were_ there!" Ginny jumped to her feet. "Tougas said it was some new trainee called Harrison, but Tonks slipped up and . . . She knew and she never told me?"

The thought settled in her stomach like a lead weight: Tonks had known all along that Harry was out there and she'd never once said a word about it. She had acted devastated like the rest, but it had been that, an act. Tougas obviously knew as well, but he kept coming round, keeping up the ruse that he was actually looking for someone who didn't need to be found. The rest of the task force must know. And if they knew, who else? Did Ron and Hermione know, too? Was she the only one who didn't know that Harry was alive and well?

"Tonks only found out that night, and then Kingsley and Tougas made her and the rest of the task force keep it quiet," Harry explained. "They were the only two who knew the whole truth."

"And what is that exactly?" Ginny asked, feeling slightly nauseous. "You couldn't deal with the reality of a family and -"

"No." Harry spoke so loudly that his voice echoed in the room for just a moment. He also stood up. "It was never my intention to leave you, Gin, but things happened that were out of my control, at least in the beginning."

"Like what?" she asked angrily, folding her arms.

"I'll tell you everything, just please, sit."

After a second in which she debated saying no, Ginny sat and waited to hear what Harry would say to possibly justify disappearing for sixteen months, and then impersonating a Muggle. She had never imagined that seeing him again would make her feel so angry.

"I honestly don't remember the first fortnight after it happened, so I'm telling you what Tougas and Kingsley told me. We had a lead on Lestrange and we followed it. We got separated and I was badly injured. Muggles found me and treated me for a few days until Tougas found me. I don't know why he brought me to Adrasteia rather than to St. Mungo's directly, but that's what he did."

So Adrasteia knew, too? This was getting better and better!

"They tell me that I was in pretty bad shape and they didn't think it was safe for you to be around, which is why they didn't tell you."

"You don't believe them?"

"I dunno. All I know is that they had decided to revert back to our original plan: to try and lure Lestrange into a trap, and they needed my help for that. It would work best if we did it soon, and then you wouldn't be in any danger because you didn't know anything."

"And you agreed to this?"

"At first," Harry said, nodding. "Because they told me it would only be a few days and then we'd have Lestrange and everything would be over. I know now that i never should have agreed in the first place, but I did. When that first campaign didn't work, we decided to try again. It was always just a few more days, a few more days.

"It didn't take long for Lestrange to grow wise to what we were doing. She stopped showing up herself, because she realized that eventually we would catch her. She didn't stop sending people, though. We arrested some of her best Death Eaters, which is why we think she's turned to Fohn. Looking to fill her dwindling ranks."

"If you knew it wasn't working, why'd you keep going along with it?" Ginny couldn't even look at him as she asked the question.

"I tried to get out of it. I really, really tried, especially around the time that James was born. I almost got here, too, but the protective enchantments were set up very well, and before I could do anything about them, Kingsley showed up. I don't know how now, but I let them convince me that it was too dangerous to do anything, because Lestrange would expect it, but in due course they would tell you what was happening."

"They never said a word," Ginny said. She could feel a headache coming on. "And if you were so set on coming back, why didn't you go to the Burrow or something?"

"I would have done if Kingsley hadn't shown up."

"And in all the months since then?" She rubbed at her temples. "It doesn't seem like you tried very hard, Harry."

"You're right, I could have - No, should have done more." He paused for a moment to rub at his eyes and pull a piece of parchment out of his pocket. He turned it over in his hands a few times before continuing. "But bursting in would have put you and James in more danger, and that's the last thing any of us wanted."

"So instead you decided to - what? Leave me to wonder if you were dead, or alive and being tortured by Lestrange? To abandon your son? To hide out like a coward?" Her head was throbbing, and her voice was starting to rise.

"Yeah, I guess so," Harry replied flatly. "There was a period where I gave up even trying to get Kingsley and Tougas to stop this pointless game we were playing with Lestrange. I just spent hours looking at this."

He handed Ginny the item he'd been holding in his hand. It wasn't a piece of parchment, but a photo. She knew the photo well: a picture of her and James just minutes after he was born. He was barely visible through the wad of blankets he was wrapped in, but she could just make out the tiny tuft of black hair. Her photographic self was staring down at him, a tear track still visible on her cheek.

"Where did you get this?" Ginny asked quietly.

"Tougas."

"What?"

Harry nodded grimly.

"He hasn't been visiting you every day just for the hell of it, you know. The wards don't really need to be checked every day, either, but I told them that the only way I'd keep up with this ruse is if one of them made sure you and James were safe."

"So you've had him spying on me?" Ginny nearly shouted and she started to jump to her feet again but Harry grabbed her hand.

"Not spying, just . . . I wanted to make sure that you were OK."

"I think you need to leave," she said, wrenching her hand out of Harry's. "I can't stand to look at you right now."

"I will go if you want me to, but I think you need to hear the rest of it first."

"There's more?" Ginny felt her stomach turn over. "Do I even want to hear this?"

"No, I reckon you don't, but if you're going to hate me . . . " Harry swallowed, and then continued. "I knew that you were relatively safe when you weren't playing with the Harpies, and maybe that was why I didn't push harder to come back, but I tried again when your return to work approached. Kingsley and Tougas gave in, but said we'd have to do it slowly. I was done with that, especially after learning about Chase. The night of your first day back I wanted to make sure you got out safely. It's a good thing I did, otherwise I don't know what Chase might have done to you . . ."

"You weren't there." She definitely would have remembered seeing Harry that night. "The only person there was some Mugg -" Her eyes fell on the bottle of polyjuice potion sitting on the coffee table.

"Yeah, it was me. The only thing I regret about that night was that I decided to use the potion in the first place. When Chase vanished like that, I thought it would have been the perfect time to tell you, but you Disapparated too quickly.

"I was worried that Chase wouldn't leave you alone, so I watched over the next few weeks, just to make sure."

"You followed me?" Ginny asked weakly. "You followed me?"

"Just to make sure you got to work and back safely," he replied defensively. "Except for your first match. I wanted to see you play so I used polyjuice again - another Muggle. I think James recognized me though. He's a really perceptive kid, Gin."

"That was you, too? You were that squirrelly faced reporter who I thought was trying to blackmail me?"

"It was never supposed to go that far. I just wanted to see your match. But then you assumed that's what I was when you saw me arguing with Tougas a few days later. We let you think that because the alternative . . . "

"Yeah, why would the truth be better than a lie?" Ginny asked, furiously. "I can tell you have more to say. What else have you done?"

This time it was Harry who stood up and started pacing the room. He didn't speak for a full minute, and he kept rubbing his jaw. He seemed very reluctant to tell her this last bit of repugnant behaviour.

"I . . . er . . . Tougas told me about Rossi. And -"

"You were there, too." Ginny interrupted. She spoke flatly, feeling exhausted. But then she remembered that night, and how she had been so convinced she had seen Harry. "You were there!"

Harry nodded, looking thoroughly disgusted.

"I left with you, as Thomas, of course. I just wanted to make sure that he didn't try anything, Rossi, I mean. I never meant for you to see me, Gin, I really didn't. I'm sorry I upset you. And that's why I followed you into the loo. I just wanted to make sure you were OK. But when you were leaving you realized I was there and when you pulled the cloak off I couldn't . . . You looked so beautiful that I . . ."

"Wait." Ginny stood up, swaying a little because her head was spinning again. "Wait. You threw the cloak over both of us and we kissed?"

Harry nodded again.

"But that was a dream I had, it didn't actually happen," she said, speaking more to herself. "How did you know about that?"

"It wasn't a dream," he said, turning a violent shade of green. "It really happened, but I wasn't supposed to be there at all and so I had to . . . . to modify . . . your memory. I'm sorry, so sorry. I didn't think you would remember at all, but I heard you crying that night I knew I didn't do it properly. I . . . It was selfish of me to come near you in the first place, but -"

"I just want to make sure I'm following what you're telling me." Ginny held up her hand to make him stop talking, covering the distance that separated them. "You had me spied on, spied on me yourself, stalked me, made me think I was going mad, groped me in a bathroom and then when you realized that you fucked up you erased my memory. Does that about cover it?"

"It wasn't like that. I -"

"DOES IT?"

"I - I suppose, but -"

Ginny didn't bother reaching for her wand, she drew back her arm and punched him as hard as she could. An awful crunching noise indicated that she broke his nose, and blood spurted everywhere when he recoiled. He brought his hand up to stem the flow of blood, staring at Ginny in shock. She turned her back on him and stared out the window for a minute, trying to calm down. If she got any angrier she just might explode.

"I'm sorry," Harry said, his words a little garbled because of his broken nose. In the reflection from the window she saw him use his wand to stem the flow of blood.

"Save it, Harry. I don't want to hear your apologies."

"I'm sorry," he said automatically. "I understand."

"Do you? Do you really?" she asked, speaking louder than was necessary. "Do you really understand what it's been like? Getting up every day to take care of a child who looks exactly like you, while worrying that you might be dead, or somewhere being tortured, and having to deal with this for months. MONTHS, Harry. And then to find out that you were not only safe, but that I was being lied to by people I counted as friends. Can you possibly understand what it was like to worry that I might one day have to tell our son that his father vanished and we had no idea what happened to him?"

"I -"

Whatever Harry was going to say was drowned out by James's cry. Ginny had shouted so loud that she had woke him up. Both Harry and Ginny looked towards his bedroom and then Harry took a step in that direction.

"NO." Ginny hurried ahead of him and blocked the door. "No, Harry. You have no right -"

"He's my son, Gin."

"You've made your choice. I don't want you anywhere near us. Now get out."

Harry braced himself by grabbing the bathroom door frame. "Don't do this, please."

"You did it to yourself. LEAVE!" She pointed at the door.

For the briefest moment, Ginny thought that Harry was either going to fall at her feet and beg her to reconsider, or that he was going to barge past her. He did neither. He let his head thud heavily against the doorframe once before he nodded sadly and trudged to the door. Ginny hurried to lock it, but she couldn't stop herself looking through the peephole, watching him make his way down the stairs before dealing with her screaming son.


	12. Chapter Eleven: Breaking The Defences

Never in her life had Ginny imagined she was capable of such anger. She was trembling as she entered James's room. Harry's resigned attitude from a moment earlier only served to infuriate her further. What had he hoped to achieve by it? Pity? Forgiveness? Well he wasn't going to get either, not after what he'd done.

James's cries had increased in volume since he'd been awakened. The first time in a fortnight that she hadn't had to worry about struggling to get the boy to sleep, and Harry had to show up and ruin things. Yes, it had been her shout that woke him up, but if Harry hadn't been so keen to confess all of his sins she wouldn't have shouted and then James would still be sleeping. The very thought made her want to call Harry back and tell him that he had to deal with this mess, but she didn't think she could stand to be in his presence without murdering him.

"It's OK," she said, patting James's back as she hugged him and started pacing, rocking him slightly.

Things weren't OK, though. In all the months that had passed since Harry's mysterious disappearance she had considered that if or when he came back he might not be in great shape. If he had been captured by Lestrange, for example, he probably would have sustained severe injury. She'd been prepared for some sort of physical or mental incapacitation, but this . . . To know what he had done of his own free will, that he had not only followed her around without giving her the slightest indication that it was him, but that he had made her forget she had seen him. It was awkward to consider that he'd been at Dimentichi's and watched her date with Rossi, but what had happened in the loo was worse. To think that he'd not only been there but that they'd shared a kiss and she couldn't really remember it . . . That he would dare to modify her memory at all, but especially because he'd been with her in those weeks and months after what happened with his cousin.

Feeling nauseous, and desirous of the blissful oblivion of a dreamless sleep potion and her own bed, Ginny continued to walk around James's room as she tried to get him back to sleep, something he seemed intent on avoiding at all costs. He wasn't wet or hungry, sick or injured, but seemed to have decided to behave as ridiculously as his father had done.

"Give it a rest already," she said exasperatedly after pacing the entire flat half a dozen times. "I can see you're tired, Jay, just go back to sleep. There's a good lad."

His answer was the same as it had been for the last half an hour: to cry more shrilly. Ginny sighed and continued pacing. He couldn't stay up forever.

After another hour, however, Ginny was sure that James was trying to prove her wrong. She was dragging her feet as she circled the sitting room for what felt like the millionth time. Sitting down was out of the question, because James would let out an ear-piercing scream until she started moving again. If he kept it up much longer she was going to drop. The best that could be said was that she was now too exhausted to be furious.

After another five minutes, Ginny had to give in and stop walking to rest her throbbing feet. She perched on the arm of the sofa, and hugged James to her, silently praying that he would run out of air and drop off to sleep some time soon.

"Stop it already," she said exhaustedly, falling back onto the sofa, unable to face more walking at the moment. The level of his crying increased dramatically for about thirty seconds, before falling to it's lowest level in over an hour. This was a hopeful sign, and she wasn't averse to staying here all night if necessary.

After some time James did begin to doze. Breathing a sigh of relief, Ginny turned her head and something on the coffee table caught her eye. She momentarily assumed it was the bottle of Firewhisky she kept in the cupboard above her fridge, before recalling that it contained polyjuice potion. It was the bottle Harry had pulled out of the jacket that was still lying on the sofa above her head. Anger started to bubble in the pit of her stomach again as she remembered Harry pouring a small amount into his hand, and the fantastic story to explain why he had it, a story too incredible to believe.

It would be so much easier to think that Harry was lying, a clear cut reason to hate him, but the longer she thought about it, the less Ginny could convince herself that he wasn't telling the truth. When she had started searching for Harry what had Tougas done? Threatened to have her arrested. They might have wanted to keep her out of danger while she was pregnant, but they had told her that she was interfering. It was always curious to her that they wouldn't accept the help, given that they were short-staffed enough to call Tonks back from maternity leave. They had also not only lied to her, but to members of their own department, including Tonks if Harry was telling the truth. And Kingsley, who Ginny had never thought the type to play games, had manufactured, or at least sanctioned a plan that had ripped their family apart, and made Harry resort to doing stupid things.

Ginny was standing with no recollection of even sitting up, and she was shaking with rage again, her fury threatening to burst forth in a throat tearing scream. She thought of the meeting she'd had with Tougas earlier, and how he had so casually dismissed her concerns about the reporter. He had known it was Harry, that's why he hadn't been concerned. He had in fact known all along that Harry was out there and had been able to look her in the eye every day and lie about it, even when he knew how much not knowing was tearing her up.

Minutes later, driven by her renewed rage, Ginny was closing the door to her flat. She'd hastily pulled a coat over James's pajamas and retrieved her own from the closet before stepping out. She didn't care that it was late, and that she'd probably do better to stay home and catch up on her sleep, she just had to confront Tougas. What she was hoping to gain by it, she didn't know, but she just knew she couldn't let him lie to her another minute.

"Dada," James said as they rounded the corner to descend the last flight of stairs. Ginny was busy pulling his collar up to protect against any wind outside, but stopped in the act when she saw that James was again right. Harry had been sitting on the topmost step, and was getting to his feet. He'd cleaned the blood off his face, but he hadn't healed his nose. It was almost as crooked as Dumbledore's had been, and there were dark bruises under his eyes.

"Where are you going?" he asked

"To give Tougas a piece of my mind," she said angrily, trying to push past Harry, but he wouldn't move.

"Now? It's the middle of the night."

"Really? I hadn't noticed," she said sarcastically. "Now will you get out of my way."

"No."

"No?"

"It's too dangerous," he replied.

"I seriously doubt that Death Eaters are lurking in the corners of the courtyard, Harry." Her voice was starting to rise again as she adjusted James on her hip so his fussing didn't make her drop him.

"The protections only extend so far, Gin. Once you're outside of them we don't know who could be waiting, and I can't lose . . . I know you wouldn't want anything to happen to James. I'm not telling you not to go," he hastened to add, "just wait until morning. I'll take you myself if . . . if you want."

For a full minute they stood facing each other as though they were preparing for a duel. Ginny's hand did twitch towards her wand, egged on by the anger that hadn't yet cooled. In the end, though, she didn't reach for her wand at all. She didn't like to admit that Harry was right, but he'd said something that trumped her anger. She didn't really know what might be out there, and she couldn't live with herself if she let something happen to James.

"I can find my own way, thanks," she said coldly, and started to head up the stairs again.

James had other plans. He'd been relatively quiet for the past five minutes and only started fussing when they'd come round the corner to see Harry. Now, as she neared the door to her flat, he let out a cry and held out his arm as though he was reaching for Harry.

She would have been all right if she hadn't decided to look over her shoulder. James was looking down at Harry, who had come round the corner was was standing there with his hands in his pockets, watching them with the same resigned expression that had so infuriated her earlier.

"Come on," she said to Harry, silently cursing her own decision. He hesitated for just a moment, looking up at her as though he couldn't believe what he was hearing, but when she nodded to reassure him that she was serious he took the stairs two at a time, and was at her side before she'd even opened the door. When she allowed him to take James he smiled widely, an expression mirrored on his son's face.

"It's well past the time he usually goes down," she said when they were just inside the door and she was busy taking James's coat off. "So don't keep him up too much longer, OK."

"OK."

"You're lucky your mum loves you so much," Harry said, lifting James over his head as he walked down the hall with him. Over James's excited squeal, he added, "otherwise I wouldn't be here, and you'd already be in bed, my boy."

James looked at Ginny with wide-eyes, as though asking for confirmation.

"It's true," she replied, following Harry to James's room, where she leaned against the doorframe and crossed her arms. She planned to stay there until he finally fell asleep so she could make Harry leave again, she was still mad at him after all. The longer she watched him with James, however, the more she was reminded of the Harry that she had known before his disappearance. He looked as happy now as he had done in the first weeks they'd spent here together. It felt, for those few moments, as though no time had passed at all. They might have just brought James home from the hospital.

Her reverie was broken when James was finally asleep, and Harry had looked his fill of his sleeping son. He came to stand in the doorway with Ginny, and his misshapen nose triggered her return to the less pleasant reality.

"Thanks for letting me do that," he said, squeezing her hand.

"He doesn't deserve to suffer just because we have problems," she said, heading for the sitting room. Harry followed her as she hoped he would.

"Sit," she ordered, pointing at the sofa as she took her wand from her pocket. Harry eyed it warily, almost making Ginny smile. "Relax, I'm just going to heal your nose."

He continued to watch her carefully as she took his chin in her hand. She took careful aim (it had been a while since she'd used this spell) and said, "Episkey."

"Thanks." Harry gently touched his nose to make sure it was back to normal.

"I don't know why you didn't do it yourself in the first place," Ginny replied, stowing her wand in her pocket.

"I had other things on my mind." He was still watching her closely. Before he spoke again he took her hands in his. "It was never about work, ever. I only agreed in the first place because I thought we'd get Lestrange and then I would know you and James were safe. It wasn't supposed to go on this long, and I never intended for you to go through any of this."

"Wouldn't she have realized that's what you were doing once she found out you were alive and come straight for us?" Ginny asked.

"Yeah," Harry said, nodding. "If I had a time turner I'd go back and change it, but I can't. I can only say that I promise I'll make it up to you. If you'll let me."

"You've made that promise before, Harry, and now look where we are." Ginny pulled her hands free and walked further into the sitting room. "The costs keep getting higher every time something makes you break it, and I don't think either of us can afford it anymore."

The implications of her own words shook Ginny to her very core and she had to sit down.

"I meant it when I said I wanted us to be a proper family." Harry sat down beside her, "I still want that. I've already told you I made a huge mistake by staying away, one I don't plan on repeating."

"Until the next case that might put us in danger," Ginny said. "I want to believe you Harry, I do, but . . . "

"I love you, both of you." Harry pointed at James's bedroom.

"Don't." Ginny held up her own hand. It was too soon for him to say those words. A painful lump rose in her throat and she wasn't quite able to swallow it. "I'm not sure that's enough."

A heavy silence fell. It seemed as though they had said all they could say. Ginny drew her legs onto the couch, wrapped her arms around them and rested her head on her knees. She shut her eyes tightly to avoid letting any tears spill out. Harry continued to sit beside her, and she could feel his stare, but he didn't say anything. The silence was broken only by the ticking of a clock. She concentrated on that and soon lost a battle to her exhaustion.

When she opened her eyes again, expecting that only a few minutes had passed, Ginny was shocked to find light streaming in through the sitting room window. She'd been asleep for a few hours at least. Sitting up she discovered that someone had covered her up with a blanket. Not someone, she corrected once she had her thoughts in order, Harry, and sounded like he hadn't left. She could just make out his voice coming from down the hall. He must be talking to James, she thought. Odd, that his cry hadn't woke her up. She threw the blanket off and stood up, intending to see if Harry needed any help.

It turned out that James was still asleep in his crib. The voices she'd heard were those of Harry and Hugh, who were standing just inside the door, wearing identical frowns. What had they been talking about? Why was Hugh here at this ungodly hour?

The answer to the second question was short in coming. It had been driven from her mind with everything that had happened with Harry, but she and James were meant to go camping with him.

"I completely forgot," she said apologetically when Hugh noticed her standing there.

"So I reckoned," he said, glancing at Harry. "Are you still coming?"

Ginny also looked at Harry. Even though everything was still up in the air with them, she didn't think that it was the right time to go off with someone else. How to put it tactfully, though?

"I thought as much," Hugh replied, apparently not requiring her answer. "From the second I saw you staring at him last night, I knew you would do something stupid like this."

"Watch it," Harry growled, reaching for his wand.

"Harry," Ginny said warningly. He stopped reaching for his wand, but continued to glare at Hugh. She had to nudge him to get him to look at her. "Give us a minute."

"I think I'd rather stay," he said, but backed down when she gave him another warning look. "Fine. I'll be in the sitting room."

Ginny watched Harry walk into the sitting room, and go to stand by the window before she turned her attention to Hugh.

"I'm terribly, terribly sorry," she said. "I was looking forward to going, but given the circumstances . . ."

"I should have seen it coming, really. Even when you didn't know what happened, you were still obsessed with him. Of course you'd choose him."

"It's not that simple. We've been together a long time and -"

"I know all about your history," Hugh said, holding up his hand.

"I doubt it."

"As much as my best friend knows, anyway. Didn't I tell you that she was a witch?"

Her jaw dropped. She had suspected that Hugh knew more about the magical world than he had ever let on, but she hadn't expected this. It was no wonder he hadn't seemed all that surprised by James's demonstrations of accidental magic.

"Why didn't you say anything?"

"It was more fun listening to the absurd stories you came up with. Telling me you're a photographer but not knowing how to work a Polaroid." The smile slid from his face. "Honestly, I just thought that you would tell me when you were ready to."

"Gin?" Harry called from the living room.

"Hang on." She could see that now he was talking, that there was more that Hugh wanted to say.

"I had guessed that you were a witch, but I didn't know anything about you until I happened to mention your name to my friend. She knew who you were! At first I thought that it was just such a small community where everyone knew everyone- "

"Ginny," Harry called again, louder this time.

"Just a minute, Harry. Go on," she said to Hugh.

"You were a famous sports star, engaged to the man who'd defeated the most powerful dark wizard ever. How could I compete? I'd decided not to, and that was the day you kissed me."

"Ginevra." Harry hurried up to her.

"What?" she demanded, spinning round. Something very serious must have happened for him to use her full name.

"Death Eaters."

It took several seconds for Ginny to grasp the meaning of these words. A thousand questions exploded in her mind, but she knew that there wasn't time for that and she tore down the hall to get James. He was still sleeping when she picked him up. Praying that he stayed asleep, she raced out of his room again, running directly into Hugh, who was wearing a very confused expression.

"What is going on?"

"Trouble," Ginny replied tersely, scanning the flat. "Where'd Harry go?"

"I'm here," Harry said from the landing just outside the flat. He was holding his invisibility cloak and when Ginny got close enough he handed it to her. He took her hand and started down the stairs, talking as they went. "The enchantments were set up to alert us if something breeched them. The task force will be here soon, if they're not out there already. I'm going to go down and find out, but I want you to be prepared to run. Stay under the cloak and out of sight."

Ginny nodded, though she didn't care much for his plan. She jerked her head in Hugh's direction. He had followed them down the stairs, looking thoroughly confused. "And what about him?"

For the space of several heartbeats Harry looked at Hugh with a vindictive expression, but that was replaced by a resigned look..

"We'll have to take him with us," he said. "Get the cloak on."

He waited for her to pull the cloak over herself and James. Hugh gasped when they disappeared.

"Keep your mouth shut," Harry barked impatiently. Then turning back to where Ginny and James were still standing. "Try and stay close."

He rushed down the stairs. Ginny followed much slower owing to the cloak and the fact that she was carrying James. By the time they reached the ground floor and pushed the door open Harry had disappeared.

The sun hadn't properly risen yet; it had gilt the tops of the tall cedars that formed the inner border of the courtyard. In the street beyond, she could see a rainbow of sparks that looked like they could have been produced by Fred and George's Wizard Whiz-bangs, but she knew were wand sparks. A full-fledged duel was taking place in the street.

Out of nowhere came the horrible sense that she had been here before. With that familiarity, a dread feeling that this was not going to end well for Harry. She had to find him.

"Here." She stepped back into the building and whipped the cloak off. After a moment's hesitation, she handed James and the cloak to Hugh. "Put this on and stay close to me."

Without a second thought, she tightened the grip on her wand, pulled the door open and stepped onto the stoop. The wind whipped her hair into her face. She pushed it away impatiently, looking around. In the seconds she'd lost since ducking back into the building the duel had become more severe, and closer to the walls of the courtyard. They would would be breached at any minute.

Someone grabbed her hand and yanked her behind one of the tall cedars.

"What the hell are you doing?" Harry hissed. "I told you -"

"Thank God," she said. Such was her relief that he was unharmed, that Ginny forgot for just a moment that Death Eaters were upon them, and that she was supposed to be mad at him. She hugged him tightly.

"Where's James?" he demanded.

"Hugh's got him. He's just behind -"

Before she could finish what she was staying there was a massive explosion and the courtyard wall crumbled. People began pouring in, continuing duels that had started in the street. She could just make out Tougas and Tonks among the duelers and the spells now flying in every direction.

"We have to get out of here," Harry said, grabbing her hand and pushing her backwards. "Go."

They had barely taken three steps when another gust of wind blew through the courtyard, whipping at the invisibility cloak, exposing Hugh and James for a moment before he was able to pull it closed.

"Hey, it's the kid," someone bellowed, his voice carrying over the noise of the crowd. He turned his wand and sent a jet of blue light flying directly at Hugh and James.

"NO," Ginny cried, launching herself at the pair of them. She felt another spell fly over her heard and realized only when she saw Hugh and James forced back into the door that Harry had cast a Shield Charm. The Death Eater's spell rebounded.

"Get out of here," Harry commanded, standing in front of them so he could block any additional spells. "The enchantments are all down so you can Disapparate. Go to the Burrow. I'll meet you there."

Ginny nodded, removed the Shield Charm and grabbed Hugh's arm. It had been too close a call with James to delay any more. Before she could let go of Harry's hand so she didn't drag him with her when she Disapparated, however, there was a blinding flash of of light and she was dragged down as he fell.


	13. Chapter Twelve: Of The Essence

Someone was trying to shake her awake, but Ginny kept her eyes shut. It was probably just Fred or George trying to wake her for Sunday breakfast. She started to wave them away muttering about how she needed more sleep to calm the pounding in her head, but her arms felt like they weighed a ton and she couldn't move them. It was exhaustion and her throbbing head that made them feel that way, she reasoned, nothing that sleep wouldn't cure, but she needed to find a more comfortable position because it felt like she was sleeping on rocks.

But she couldn't move the rest of her body either. A sense of panic started to overwhelm her as she thrashed about as best she could trying to wake, but the drowsiness wouldn't lift. She tried forcing her eyelids to pop open, but they wouldn't, at least until she heard a sound that pierced her very soul: the petrified cry of a baby.

James!

Almost before her eyes were open, Ginny was trying to push herself up, but her arms still weren't cooperating. They were as immobile as they had been a moment earlier. She tried to move them but felt horribly weak and her right arm was extremely heavy. She didn't succeed in much more than wiggling her fingers. The pounding in her head increased with the effort of her struggle, and it started to spin as her panic filled her with horrible thoughts about what could be happening to James. That panic increased tenfold when hands seized her under the arms and started dragging her backwards. Ginny tried to prevent it, hitting her captor with her right arm as soon as she felt the weight lift from it. The minute she made contact a sharp pain made her cry out. A hand covered her mouth, stifling the sound.

"They can't see us in this. Let's not give away our location."

In normal circumstances it would have been a relief to hear Hugh's voice, but his words, and the note of panic in his tone made GInny's mind ground into action, catching up with what had happened, and bringing understanding to what she was seeing. The courtyard was one big cloud of dust and smoke through which they could just make out flashes of spells and the flickering light of fire - the cedars were aflame.

"I've been trying to get you to come round for some time." Hugh's panic was only slightly diminished.

"James," Ginny said, pushing him away. She could hear a baby's muted cry quite close by, but the shrill, petrified sound lingered, making her shiver. If Hugh was right and she had been unconscious for longer than a few seconds, there was no telling what could have happened to her son. He could be anywhere and she would have a hell of a time finding him in the cloud. She struggled to get to her knees and promptly vomited.

"He's fine." Hugh removed his hand from her shoulder and groped in the air behind him for a moment. Wiping her mouth on her sleeve, Ginny watched. There was something very familiar and important about what she was witnessing that her addled brain was missing. When the invisibility cloak flew off and revealed James, looking quite unhurt, her uneasy feeling was overwhelmed by relief and she stretched out her arms for him. Hugh picked James up but didn't hand him over, he was looking past Ginny, a troubled expression on his face.

"He needs a doctor." He turned Ginny round slowly to show her what he'd been looking at.

It felt for the briefest moment as though the previous evening hadn't happened, and she was seeing Harry for the first time since his disappearance. Ginny stretched out her hand to touch Harry's hair (more grey than black because of the dust) to make sure he was really real. Then the rest of the pieces slid into place: the Invisibility cloak! Harry had told her to stay hidden beneath it and she had ignored him. James's petrified cry had given them away and as they rushed to save him a spell had flown at them The spell must have hit Harry, it was the only explanation for the large wound in his abdomen through which blood was pouring. . . The smoky air wavered and she could see blackness at the edges of her vision. This couldn't be happening. Not now!

"He needs a doctor," Hugh repeated, breaking Ginny from her own immobility. "We need to find a way out of here."

He was right. The duellers were getting closer, but if they Disapparated now, before she did something with his wound, Harry might not make it.

"Where's my bag?" Trying to push the blackness away, Ginny began running her hands along the stoop like a blind person. She gritted her teeth against the pain from her right arm and leant heavily on her left, breathing deeply all the time to avoid being sick again. She pushed on by thinking only of what must be done. Harry had already lost a lot of blood - he was coated in it, as was her arm, and a sizeable pool had already gathered on the stoop. He was growing paler by the second. She knew their only hope was dittany.

Thankfully Hugh didn't question her. He was the one to locate her bag and thrust it into her waiting hands. With no time to waste she retrieved her wand from the pool of blood and used it to summon the bottle of dittany from the capacious depths of her bag.

"This will help and then we'll get you to Adrasteia," Ginny said to Harry, unstoppering the bottle. "You just have to hold -"

Something flew into her with the force of many speeding Bludgers, throwing her forward onto Harry. The bottle flew out of her hand and smashed on the ground several feet away. Potion sailed in every direction with the glass shards.

"NO!"

The heavy weight momentarily prevented Ginny from moving, but it was quickly lifted. Peripherally she saw something pink fly past her, hitting the only cedar not in flames. Someone grabbed her by the hair before she could investigate, pulling her up, off of Harry.

"We've got to go. Now," Tougas barked, holding a clump of her hair tightly in his fist. He sounded almost panicked. "Hold onto Potter. I've got the others."

He barely waited for Ginny to fling her uninjured arm around Harry before he turned and enveloped them in darkness. They landed hard and for a moment her kneecaps felt like they had been shattered. Before Ginny could give the matter much thought, Tougas was on the move again.

"We need to get him inside," he said, peering round them with his wand raised, as though he expected a Death Eater to jump out and start firing spells. "Weasley, you take the kid. You there -" Hugh jumped. "You'll help me with Potter. Move!"

James was still partly covered in the invisibility cloak when Ginny took him. She pulled it off and stuffed it in her pocket, only then taking the opportunity to look around. They had arrived at the Burrow, where Harry had told them to go. How did Tougas know that?

The air was cleaner here and made it easier to think, but Ginny was still off balance. It had been hard enough keeping her head from spinning when she'd been kneeling on the ground, but as Ginny started to cross the back garden it felt like the world was tilted on a diagonal plane, and more than once she stumbled and nearly fell. The house seemed to get farther and farther away the longer she walked, so much so that when the back door burst open and her parents came out they seemed like tiny dots off in the distance. She fell to her knees, unable to walk any farther without falling on her face and hurting James.

"Ginny?"

"Ginny?"

"What hap - Harry?"

"We need to get them inside. You can ask questions when we've done so," Tougas barked, just as Arthur reached Ginny and James and pulled her to her feet. For but a second he looked like he might ignore Tougas and go on with his question, but seemed to think better of it when he saw Ginny and Harry close-to.

"Of - of course."

Ginny was anxious to follow after her mother who was leading Tougas and Hugh into the house, but remained still for several seconds when her father offered to take James. She was overwhelmed by a fear that letting go of would bring him harm. It was the same irrational sort of fear that had goaded her into ignoring Harry's advice to stay out of sight. Feeling sickened at how that had turned out, and having no desire to repeat it with her son, she handed James over and clung tightly to her dad's arm as they headed for the house.

"What happened?" he asked when they were feet away from the back door. "Where did Harry come from? It look like you've both been -"

"Death Eaters, dad," Ginny interrupted, pulling the door open. She needed to get inside, not get dragged into a conversation about what had happened. He nodded grimly as though he had expected that much, and looked ready to ask another question. Ginny hurried away before he could, using the walls and furniture for support as she made her way unsteadily to the sitting room.

Molly was rummaging through a dresser in the corner, filling the room with the faint tinkling of glass bottles. Tougas was kneeling in front of the sofa, looking nearly as pale as Harry. Hugh seemed to be avoiding looking at Harry at all, instead starting around the house as though he'd never seen one before. Ginny pushed past him and knelt beside Tougas. Her stomach did a flip flop to see that Harry had grown even paler, and his breathing was so shallow that it was hard to tell if he was breathing at all.

"Here it is," Molly said at last. One final tinkle sounded and then the drawer slid shut. She crossed the room quickly. Ginny held out her hand for the bottle.

"Maybe you should let me, dear -" When her mum touched her right arm a stab of pain made Ginny let out an involuntary hiss. She wished she hadn't when she saw the look of concern on her mum's face. Molly was more likely than her husband to mount an argument, thereby wasting valuable time. Ginny kept her hand out, wearing her most determined expression. She had been the one to cause this, she had to be the one to fix it, if she could. Her mum hesitated for a second longer, as though she was indeed considering whether or not to protest, but obviously decided against it because she handed the bottle over.

Holding it so tightly she was more likely to crush it than drop it, Ginny was at last able to apply the much needed essence of dittany to the ugly wound in Harry's abdomen. Then she held her breath, praying to Merlin that this would work. Dittany hadn't worked on Harry's scar when it had started bleeding all those months ago. What if this was another of that type? Her blood turned cold at the thought.

After a few seconds where nothing at all happened, Ginny was able to let out the breath she was holding. The dittany was doing it's job. The bleeding slowed and then stopped as the wound started to close. The sight brought a small relief, but that wasn't the end of it. The potion would save Harry from losing more blood, but couldn't bring back what he'd already lost. Her mum didn't have Blood Replenishing potion in her dresser drawer, that was restricted to healers.

"We need Adrasteia," Ginny said, not looking away from Harry.

Tougas might have nodded, but he said nothing as he stood and left the house. The sounds of his departure had long since faded before anyone felt safe to move again. For several minutes it was as if the sitting room itself was holding it's breath, waiting for the next storm to hit. At last, though, someone crossed the room quietly and gently laid a hand on GInny's shoulder.

"He won't be too long in returning, I expect," Molly spoke in a soothing tone, sounding a little hesitant. "I'll stay with Harry if you want to get cleaned up."

The glare Ginny mustered made her mother recoil. She knew the offer was well-intentioned, but resented it nonetheless. Until Adrasteia arrived and set everything to rights, she couldn't leave Harry. She was prepared to defend her position against her mother if necessary, but it turned out not to be, because Molly seemed to understand it. She patted Ginny's shoulder in a comforting way before ushering the others out of the room. Hugh seemed most reluctant to leave, moving slowly and casting many glances back at Ginny, but eventually he disappeared round the corner, too.

The room became deathly silent once more. Nursing her broken arm and praying her mother was right about Adrasteia's arrival being short in coming, Ginny took Harry's hand in hers. HIs skin was cold to the touch, making her shiver. The dittany could only do so much, and if he didn't get more blood soon . . . She shuddered again, and tried to gather her strength.

"Mum's right, Harry. Tougas knows all Adrasteia's haunts. They'll be back any minute. She'll have you up in a flash. Then you can spend all the time you want with James, OK?"

No reaction. Ginny tried to convince herself that she hadn't expected one, but the sinking feeling in her stomach betrayed her self-deceit.

The silence was broken by the scraping of chairs in the kitchen. Someone said something in a low murmur, and after a second someone else started speaking, equally as quiet but with more hesitation. She was sure that either her mum or dad had just asked Hugh to tell them what happened and it sounded as if he had complied. He might not understand everything that happened, but he should be able to give them the gist, which was all they needed for now. There would be time later for full and detailed explanations.

After some time Ginny stopped trying to listen to the conversation in the kitchen. Seconds started to feel like hours and she remained as immobile as Harry, repeating her mantra: "A few more minutes. Just a little longer, Harry." She tried to focus only on that one small hope that would sustain them until Adrasteia arrived, but it became harder to stave off the horrible thoughts: maybe this was part of the Ministry's master plan. Harry had failed. No, worse, he had disobeyed a direct order. He wasn't supposed to reveal his true identity to her. Was this his punishment?

More than wild conspiracies though, she couldn't stop the continual replay of what had happened. One minute she was worrying about what Harry and Hugh might possibly say to each other and the next they were fleeing the flat for their lives. Instead of doing the smart thing and listening to Harry, the most experienced person she knew when it came to Dark Magic, she instead listened to some stupid voice inside her head, nearly getting all of them - including the two people she loved most in the world - killed. And Tonks . . .

Two loud bangs sounded in rapid succession. Ginny jumped to her feet, and moved in front of the sofa holding her wand awkwardly in her left hand, doing her best to shield Harry from view. In the kitchen something hit the floor with a loud crash, making James let out a cry. Hurried footsteps crossed the room, almost but not completely drowning out the raised voices of two people who were quickly approaching the house. Ginny lowered her wand slightly and uncertainly. Death Eaters generally didn't announce their arrival by shouting.

The back door banged open and Ginny raised her wand again. When something white streaked through the door she was ready to release a spell, but didn't have time and was glad for that, because the streak of white light turned out to be Adrasteia, her blond hair flying behind her. She barely came to a full stop before bestowing a huge hug on Ginny, sending another shooting pain down her arm. Her cringe earned nothing more than a questioning look, because a second later Adrasteia was kneeling beside the sofa, performing complicated wand movements with one hand while she dug in her bag with the other. Ginny stood back, watching her as a knot formed and then tightened in her stomach. What if, after all this, it was still too late?

Renewed shouting captured Ginny's attention. It was easier to hear now because the back door was still open. She could hear Tougas shouting at someone who sounded an awful lot like Ron. She also thought she could hear her dad trying to act as mediator between the two. What on earth would Tougas and Ron have to argue about? They barely knew each other. Unless . . . Did Ron and Hermione know about Harry? Is that why they felt safe leaving James last night?

Ron and Tougas were too fired up to notice much around them. Ron even ignored Hermione when she tugged on his arm, having spotted Ginny standing in front of the sofa.

"I could care less about what you want," Ron said, shaking Hermione off. "We were there and saw the state of my sister's flat. We know Tonks is dead. Where are the answers, Tougas."

"Ron," Hermione tried again.

"What?" he asked angrily, spinning to look at Hermione and not even noticing Ginny until she fell to her knees.

The fact that Tonks hadn't been moving was only a passing worry. She'd been injured before and survived. She was an Auror, someone trained to fight dark wizards. She had a young son, and Remus . . . She wasn't supposed to die, not now, not like this. If she didn't make it . . . Ron must be mistaken, he had to be.

In reality, however, she knew that he was not.

"Ginny?" Ron ran over, and stooped so he could pull Ginny into a hug that she did not return. "Are you OK? We didn't know what to think when we got to your flat and saw -" He stopped talking abruptly and a second later had regained his full height, relief replaced by disbelief.

"Harry?"

"What is it?" Hermione asked, joining Ron. When her eyes landed on the sofa, her mouth fell open. "Harry? What - Where - How did he get -"

Hermione eventually gave up trying to formulate a coherent question, but she appeared to have connected the dots. Before she or Ron could give voice to their newfound insight, however, Adrasteia attracted Ginny's attention and held up a phial of bright red potion. Ginny nodded in understanding and turn round to hold Harry's head up.

"He's going to need more. A lot more," Adrasteia said seconds later, frowning at the empty phial. "I thought I had more in my bag, but I don't. Bredan and I were in such a rush to leave that I didn't have time to check."

"Will he be OK?" Ginny asked, barely able to get the words out because her throat had gone dry. Adrasteia sighed and continued to frown as she watched Harry. Her silence seemed almost accusatory. Ginny unstuck her throat, feeling the need to explain. "I had the dittany in by bag. I keep it with me all the time, like you said, but before I could - Tonks . . She - "

"Sssh." Adrasteia stood and embraced Ginny again, stroking her hair. "Sssh . . . Bredan told me what happened. You did everything you could."

Ginny shook her head, feeling a lump rise in her throat. She started to explain how she had been delayed in applying the dittany in the first place, but Adrasteia, now holding her broken arm in front of her, shook her head.

"I don't know that it would have made much of a difference, Ginny. He hadn't fully recovered from the injuries he sustained in the Auror's last duel with Death Eaters. HIs reactions would have been more sluggish because of it, which is why I didn't think he was ready to leave, but he insisted that a fortnight was long enough. I only let him go because I knew how desperately he wanted to get back to you and James. And Bredan was supposed to keep him away from duels." Adrasteia frowned, obviously displeased with Tougas. She pointed her arm at Ginny's wand and healed the broken bone, making the pain vanish almost instantly. She and Ginny shared a look of understanding, knowing that they each knew the truth of where Harry had been. "He has a photo of you and James, you know. Never out of his sight, that thing.

"Now, Bredan believes you hit your head when you fell. Is that true?"

"Yes." It was not Ginny who answered, but Hugh. "She was out for at least a couple of minutes and I couldn't bring her round."

"It's nothing," Ginny protested. She was more worried about Harry than about an injury that wasn't bothering her very much at the moment. Adrasteia silenced her with a look and started making complicated wand movements in front of Ginny's face, slowly moving to stand behind her.

"Will someone please tell me what the bloody hell is going on here?" Ron demanded, ignoring Hermione's pleas to be quiet. "The courtyard outside Ginny's flat looks like a war zone and we know at least one person died there. Tougas tells us to come here and then doesn't want to let us in. And now Harry's mysteriously materialized. We deserve some answers, don't you think?"

"Not now," Hermione said in a shaky voice. She had her hand over her mouth as though she was about to be sick.

"It was Death Eaters." Ginny repeated the same words she'd used to placate her father; It didn't quite answer Ron's question, but she didn't feel up to a long conversation, not when Adrasteia's examination of her head was making her feel as though she might vomit again. The pain seemed to get worse, almost past endurance. At the point when blackness started to appear at the edges of her vision again, Adrasteia gave a quick jab with her wand and everything lifted, leaving only a slightly dizzy feeling.

"You should try and get some rest," Adrasteia said, sounding like Molly. She picked up her bag and headed for the exit. With one foot on the threshold to the kitchen she turned back. "Both of you should. Try not to jostle Harry too much when you move him though. I'll be back soon as I can."

Ginny wasn't entirely comfortable with the idea of moving Harry and briefly considered not doing it. She wasn't sure that they would be able to pull it off without bringing him more harm. She was about to say that they should wait for Adrasteia to return when Ron reminded them that it was Sunday and the rest of the family would be arriving in only hours. She didn't like the idea of everyone gawping at Harry. And there were the children to consider. Riley and Simon might do more harm in their rambunctiousness. It was the lesser of two evils and so Ginny didn't protest when Hermione conjured a stretcher and she magicked Harry onto it.

"Where to?" Ron asked, watching Hugh's opened mouthed awe warily.

"My old room," Ginny said without hesitation. It only made sense, really, since she still used it when she was here.

It was tricky going because they had to wind their way up three sets of narrow staircases, but eventually they made it. Ginny was able to breathe much easier once Harry was lying in the bed and the stretcher had been vanished. She immediately resumed her former position, kneeling on the floor beside the bed, taking his hand in hers. Ron and Hermione hung back a moment, watching her brush the hair off Harry's forehead.

"Now will you tell us what happened?" Ron asked as he and Hermione knelt on the opposite side of the bed.

"I told you," Ginny replied, removing Harry's glasses and placing them on the bedside cabinet. "Death -"

"Yes, yes, but there's more to it than that." Ron waved his hand impatiently. "Where's he been all this time? And what did Adrasteia mean about him wanting to get back to you? How long have you known the truth?"

Ginny didn't say anything for a minute as she weighed her words. At some point they would have to be told the full story, but she didn't know if she was up to recounting it now, not when everything was so fresh in her mind. And the truth most definitely didn't paint Harry in a good light. It might even be better to not say anything, to wait until he could explain himself. Ron's questions did answer one of her own, though.

"I guess you didn't know it was him," she said under her breath. When she saw both Ron and Hermione exchange confused looks, she asked a question of her own. "Why did you two leave last night when you were supposed to be watching James?"

If she had meant the question solely as a diversion from matters she didn't want to discuss, it almost worked. They sat up straighter and shared a guilty look that told her clearly they had been expecting the question and dreading the time when they would have to answer it.

"Something important came up," Ron said.

"Not so important that we would just abandon James," Hermione added. "It's just . . . We had to leave and . . . We didn't want to worry you by taking him with us. We didn't really want to take him with us anyway because we know important it is to you to maintain his privacy and we didn't think we could do that."

"And mum said she's had that Mr. Thomas bloke round for tea and he was good with James," Ron continued, the two of them talking more quickly out of nerves. "We knew he couldn't be any kind of dark wizard or anything because the Aurors are still checking for that sort of thing. Anyway, he seems to be fine, James, doesn't he?"

"More than fine," Ginny replied. "But I wouldn't expect anything else since you left him with Harry."

"What? No, Gin, I just told you we left him with -" Ron stopped talking as he comprehended what Ginny was truly saying.

"Polyjuice?" Hermione asked, her brow knitted.

"Yeah," Ginny replied.

"Just last night, or -"

"The entire time. He told me last night. The potion had worn off by the time I got home and I found him and James asleep on the sofa." She recalled that moment perfectly, how she'd thought at first that it was Ron only to discover that it was Harry, and how she'd been paralyzed by the sight for several minutes. It was hard not to recall, too, the terror, joy, absolute fury and finally confusion that had followed in rapid succession.

"Ginny?"

"Huh?"

"I asked you if Harry explained where he's been all these months?" Ron said. "And how did this battle happen. Was it because he was there, or -"

"I don't know about that," Ginny said truthfully. "They just showed up this morning and -"

She stopped talking, not because of the surprised looks on Ron and Hermione's faces, but because the lump was returning to her throat as she was reminded again about how her own stupidity brought about one of the worst possible outcomes.

"D'you think they knew he was there? Or was it just a random attack?" Ron asked, sounding skeptical.

"Random? We saw what they did. That doesn't look to be the work of random thugs, Ron. They were after someone, or something. And I think they found it," Hermione finished in a weak voice, close to tears. "Tonks and Harry."

"Yeah, but that could just be . . . I mean we've been hearing for months about these break-ins, right? Maybe they just got lucky - I mean, not lucky," Ron backtracked when Ginny and Hermione glared at him, "but maybe it was just a coincidence. Maybe some Death Eaters have gone rogue or something, and Lestrange has nothing to do with these break-ins at all."

"Tougas agrees with you," Ginny said. "He told me last night that it didn't seem like her work. I didn't see her this morning, but I can't be sure she wasn't there because it happened too fast."

"She's mental and all," Ron said, nodding, "but I think she wouldn't have let this happen. She needs Harry alive, doesn't she?"

No one answered his question. They sat in silence for several minutes, each lost in their own thoughts. Ginny knew that Ron and Hermione were right to question the timing of this attack. Something about it didn't sit right with her either. The spell that had come their way hadn't been fired at random, but Ron was right, it had almost killed Harry. It still might, she thought, her stomach turning, and if it did Lestrange couldn't put into place whatever lunatic plan she thought would resurrect Voldemort.

The more she thought about it, Ginny supposed the spell could have been meant for her, or James. Her stomach turned over again as she remembered the Death Eater shouting, "Hey, it's the kid." He'd seemed excited about that. Did they have some plan for James, maybe the failsafe of abducting him to get Harry - the very reason Harry had stayed away? Or was their plan more simple, to kill him to satisfy their sadistic need to see his parents suffer? Was that Lestrange's plan, telling her minions to kill Ginny and James, but not to harm Harry? Had he fouled it up by taking a curse meant for one of them? Her head started spinning again.

"Did he tell you where he's been all this time?" Ron asked, breaking the minutes long silence and stopping Ginny's sickening train of thought.

"Ron, maybe now's not the time," Hermione said.

"We have a right to know," he replied shortly.

"Yes, but -"

"It's OK, Hermione," Ginny said quietly. She understood their need for answers, and though she had initially considered waiting to be a better choice, she wanted to do something that would prevent her from being sucked into her own mind. She would tell them what she knew.

Taking a deep breath, she launched into the tale, telling it as it had happened from the minute she had walked into her flat the previous evening, speaking with a certain detachment, as though she was telling someone else's story. It was easier this way, much easier than she thought it would be. Ron and Hermione listened raptly, and though she could tell by their expressions that what she said wasn't at all to their liking, they didn't interrupt. She spoke for a long time, skipping only the part about what happened at Dimentichi's, the one thing most difficult for her to accept. As though he sensed there was something she had left out, Ron jumped right on the topic when Ginny stopped talking.

"He seemed to have been everywhere else, was he at the restaurant that night, too?"

He gleaned the answer without Ginny having to say anything. She hadn't expected Ron to even remember this, and her mouth fell open in shock. He wasn't done surprising her with his uncharacteristically perceptive insight, either.

"It wasn't a dream you had, was it?"

Ginny closed her mouth trying to think of something to say, but nothing came. She couldn't lie, though, and had to shake her head. Ron's expression darkened so much that for a moment both Ginny and Hermione were of a like mind in worrying that he might attack Harry. When he moved, crouching for a moment on the balls of his feet they tensed, because he looked poised to strike.

"It might have been better for all of us if he and Tonks had exchanged places," he muttered eventually, before standing up and holding out his hand for Hermione. Pulling her to her feet he wasted no time in heading for the door. Ginny waited for the sound of the slamming door, but it didn't come. She looked up and had a momentary glimpse of Ron standing in the doorway, an unreadable expression on his face. It could have been disgust or regret, she couldn't tell. When he saw her watching, he grimaced and hurried away, taking Hermione with him.

Much as she wanted to be angry with Ron for what he said, Ginny understood where it had come from, betrayal, anger and a certain amount of disgust. Even she, having had time to digest what Harry had told her, and now filled with dread that he might be snatched by death at any second, she couldn't say she had completely forgiven him. If she couldn't, how could she expect Ron not to be angry?

Unable to sit idle any longer, Ginny could think of nothing to do but take her mother's advice. She found some old forgotten clothes in the closet along with one of her mum's thick hand-knitted blankets. After closing the bedroom door she stripped off her dirty, blood soaked clothes and lobbed them into the hamper by the window before pulling on the old jeans and jumper. The latter snagged on something as she pulled it over her head: the ring.

Pulling the chain out from under the jumper, Ginny slipped the ring over her index finger and stared at it. She hadn't precisely forgotten that it was there, but she had become so used to it's presence, resting there between her breasts that it was somewhat of a shock to see it. She spent some time wrestling with a tidal wave of conflicting thoughts. The part of her that was still angry wanted to throw it in the rubbish bin, but another voice was telling her that the right thing to do was to put it back in it's proper place on her finger. She had another urge to tuck it away again. Each point had it's merits, but no one outweighed the other to any great extent and she finally gave up trying to decide now, and let the ring fall, not bothering to tuck the chain away. It hung in plain sight as she carefully removed Harry's dirty clothes and covered him with the blanket.

She could see the corner of a piece of parchment sticking out of the pocket of his trousers, and pulled it out, but as Ginny got closer to the window she peered outside instead, to see if Adrasteia had returned yet. She'd now been gone close to an hour. Aside from the obvious danger it posed to Harry, Ginny felt uneasy. Even if Adrasteia had chosen to use the Floo network it shouldn't have taken her more than a few minutes to make the trip.

All she could see was Tougas pacing, every once in a while stopping and casting some sort of spell. Ron and Hermione were outside, too, standing at the edge of the paddock that the family used when they played Quidditch. Ron was leaning his head against a tree, and Hermione had placed her hand on his arm. It was hard to tell from this distance, but it didn't look like they were in the middle of a blazing row, not like the last time she'd seen them together in the back garden. Ron nodded in agreement with whatever Hermione said, they embraced, and started back toward the house, arm in arm.

Ginny's heart felt a little lighter at seeing this. Having no interest in watching Tougas patrol, she unfolded the parchment she'd pulled from Harry's pocket. It was the photo Adrasteia had mentioned that morning, and that Harry had shown her the previous night, except now it was covered in red splotches that she was only partly able to remove with a cleaning spell. She watched James fuss in his blankets, finding it difficult to remember him ever being that tiny. He'd grown alarmingly.

Looking at Harry over the top of the photo, Ginny felt a new appreciation for the entire situation. She had been lied to repeatedly, and put through her own hell, but until last night she'd been missing a big piece of the puzzle. Harry, on the other hand, knew everything, probably even had a good idea of what she was going through thanks to Tougas. And while she at least had James, he had nothing but this photo. She still didn't agree with how he'd handled it, but she could understand that he was essentially doing what he thought was right. She could only imagine what it must have been like, constantly fighting to get out, only to be pulled back. In her mind's eye she could see quite clearly his bouts of despondency, spending hours staring at this photo, thinking about everything he was missing. And when it became too much, he would do stupid things - like disguising himself as some loathsome Daily Prophet reporter and following her around. She'd started to act out of desperation, too, until Kingsley and Tougas had put a stop to it. If they hadn't though, she might have ended up doing things just as desperate.

She was diverted from her memorization of the photo by movement which she caught from the corner of her eye. It was barely a twitch, but Harry was definitely moving. Hurrying over, Ginny dropped the photo and her wand on the bedside cabinet and sank to her knees, taking Harry's hand in hers again. He seemed agitated.

"Harry," she said, gently touching his face. "It's OK, Harry."

He struggled for a moment and then slowly opened his eyes. He blinked several times, and looked around in confusion before finally seeing her. He stared unblinkingly, unbelieving for several seconds before trying to say anything. Then, with difficulty, his voice ragged, he managed to ask, "Where?"

"At the Burrow, like you said," she replied.

Harry nodded his head very slightly in acknowledgement, and started looking around the room again, though she knew he wouldn't be able to see much without his glasses. He was starting to get agitated again, and when he worked up to voicing his next concern it was in barely more than a whisper, "James?"

"Downstairs with mum and dad. He's safe."

Harry nodded again as his eyelids started to droop, but opened again when he caught sight of the ring. His eyes moved back to hers and he tightened his grip on her hand. She saw his lips move but no sound came out. It didn't matter, she knew what he'd said.

"I love you, too, Harry."

The corners of his mouth were upturned as he drifted off again.


	14. Chapter Thirteen: The Ring

Ginny hadn't realized she'd fallen asleep until James made a noise that woke her. In her groggy state she knew not whether it was cry or laugh, but she automatically started shifting the blankets before opening her eyes. If he was awake she had to be as well.

"Ssh," said a second voice. "You don't want to wake your mum, do you?"

In a whirlwind so fast it almost made her sick, Ginny was alert and in full recollection of everything that had happened over the last four days: Harry's sudden reappearance, the nightmarish scene outside their flat the following morning, Tonks's death, the sickening hours of waiting to see if Harry would recover from his injuries (a fear made more prevalent at the time by Adrasteia's extended absence on Sunday evening) and the still continuing worry that Bellatrix Lestrange might put in an appearance at the Burrow.

Neither Harry nor James had yet noticed that she was awake, so Ginny too the time to observe them together. As the days went on she had taken to doing this with more and more regularity. She had many months of lost time to make up, but she would have thought that after a few days the urge would decrease. Instead, like some highly addictive drug, it seemed to increase: the more she watched them together, the harder it was for her to tear her eyes away. Even more confusing was the fact that this addiction (for lack of a better word) only seemed to extend to the pair of them, but not to Harry alone. In fact, she'd taken great pains over the last few days to extricate herself from situations that found them together without James.

They were nonsensical, her feelings. it might have made sense to be uneasy in Harry's presence because of his long absence, but it hadn't been until he was up and moving around on Monday that she started feeling so. She couldn't even say that this awkward feeling stemmed from the fact that her own stupidity had almost got him killed, because she'd felt fine long after Adrasteia's late return and pronouncement that Harry was going to be fine. No, it was only on Monday morning, after a night of little to no sleep, that she felt any sense of unease at being alone with him. Once, as she lay awake on her camp bed, listening to the slow steady breathing of father and son, she thought she grasped some thread of understanding, but it slipped out of conscious thought as quickly as it came.

James laughed happily as Harry lifted him into the air. She could just make out the edge of the bandage Harry still wore, and imagined Adrasteia's reaction if she could see what Harry was doing, especially after he'd reopened his wound only the day before. He had insisted on visiting Remus and Teddy with Ron and Hermione. Apparition, as it transpired, was a little too much for Harry just then.

"Are you trying to make Adrasteia's head explode?" Ginny said, sitting up and untangling the sheets from around her legs.

Harry had the good sense to look sheepish as he lowered James down to a reasonable height.

"I think she just likes yelling now," he said. "Sorry to wake you."

Ginny waved away his concern as she checked the time. Six hours? She'd been asleep for six hours? She hadn't slept as long in weeks, not since James had decided that he would spend the night wailing rather than sleeping. Even so, she felt no more rested than she had done on the previous few nights. It was hardly surprising that she felt unrested when she had spent the night worrying about what the day would bring: Tonks's funeral

The reminder of what this day was, of where they were going and why, made Ginny move away from the clock. She took James from Harry and held him close to her, almost as though the closeness of her son could make up for the fact that she was responsible for the fact that Teddy Lupin was motherless. For what felt like the millionth time, Ginny couldn't help running over that horrible scene in her mind, and berating herself again for not listening to Harry. If she had they wouldn't have been in a situation that required Tonks to jump in front of them. If Tonks hadn't been in the forefront of the battle, she wouldn't have been such easy prey for Lestrange's curse, and she would still be alive.

Several minutes passed during which Ginny paced the room and Harry watched her. Neither of them said anything. During her seventh or eighth circuit about the room, Ginny chanced a glance at Harry and was sure his thoughts were much the same as her own. She paused, wondering if she ought to say something, to apologize again for what she'd put him through, or . . . When nothing came to her she resumed pacing. What else could she say that hadn't already been said in long conversations they'd had with Ron and Hermione over the last two days?

A soft rap on the door interrupted Ginny's pacing that was now entering it's dozenth rotation. Hermione poked her head in.

"Breakfast is ready," she said, opening the door wider when she saw she wasn't intruding. "Your mum says we should all have something to eat before . . . " She took a deep breath to steady her voice. "You should all come down soon."

"OK," Harry replied. Ginny nodded.

The breakfast table was already crowded. Both of her parents were there, along with Ron and Hermione, Percy, Fred and George, Charlie - who had arrived the previous day and was leaving again in the morning - and Hugh. Unlike her family, Hugh looked up from his plate quickly and then down again when Ginny entered with James, closely followed by Harry. The others, Percy and Charlie in particular, were watching them almost unblinkingly. Any other day Ginny would have stared them down, but she didn't have the strength today. She plunked James into his high chair and went to prepare his food while Harry slunk into the empty seat beside Hermione, exchanging tense greetings with everyone else.

When Adrasteia returned late Sunday evening she had not been alone. Kingsley had been with her. Ginny felt ready to hex him for daring to set foot in the Burrow after everything he'd done. In the end, however, she was forced to grudgingly concede that his presence had been helpful. For one thing, he was responsible for Adrasteia returning at all. She'd been held up at work due to interference from her boss. It had been Kingsley who extricated her from virtual imprisonment. He had also owned to the fact that Harry's months long absence was his idea and not Harry's. While this news didn't dispose Ginny to think differently of the situation, it did help to sooth some of the simply murderous looks worn by Bill, Percy, Fred and George. They, like her, however, were still having trouble figuring out how they should act around Harry.

"Remember Ginevra, you need to eat, too," Molly said as Ginny finished preparing James's food.

"Yes, mum," Ginny replied automatically. She hadn't had much of an appetite over the last few days, but she would force down enough food to keep her mother off her back.

It turned out Molly was not the only Weasley intent on giving reminders about eating enough at breakfast. As Ginny sat down with James's porridge, she distinctly saw Ron trying to encourage Hermione to eat more. Hermione had her head behind the morning copy of the Daily Prophet and kept rebuffing him. The more she resisted, the more insistent Ron became. It was rather comical, but no one aside form Ginny saw it. At least she thought she'd been the only one until she saw the very slight smirk Harry wore. She returned it when he caught her eye.

Ron and Hermione hadn't mentioned anything about how their meeting with Adrasteia went, and Ginny hadn't thought to ask. The appointment had been pushed from her mind because of everything else that happened. It wasn't until Monday evening that it was brought back to her. While Adrasteia was giving Harry one of her many lectures Ginny had gone to bathe James. She returned just in time to see the healer leaving the room and stopping to talk to Ron and Hermione who had been waiting just outside the door. She made an inquiry as to how they were doing. Curiously, Ron and Hermione's expressions changed at once. Where a moment before they had been frowning slightly, they were beaming. Hermione in particular looking radiant.

Neither Ron nor Hermione would answer Ginny's question about what they were so happy about, but it was the sort of question she was sure she didn't need an answer to. She watched them closely for the rest of the evening and by then was absolutely sure that Hermione was pregnant. She shared this suspicion with Harry that night. He balked at the idea at first, but within minutes was mostly convinced, and after their visit to Remus on Tuesday, he returned with the conviction that Ginny was right, but unsure why they were trying to hide it. They were failing miserably, of course, and these attempts were growing more and more feeble as hours passed.

Ron caught Harry and Ginny's shared smirk. It looked as though he understood what they were thinking, because he turned slightly pink. "Did she tell you she's not going to play in Friday's match?" he asked, directing his question to Harry.

"For heaven's sake, Ron," Hermione said, slamming her newspaper shut. "Haven't I told you already that this isn't the time?"

"Quidditch?"

All the attention given the question, one would have thought Hugh had asked something more meaningful. Of course it wasn't his question but rather the fact that he was speaking at all. He had also been staying at the Burrow (the Ministry hadn't yet deemed it safe to return to their building) but he had not yet spoken up during meals. It was fairly easy to forget he was there most of the time, at least until Ginny would catch Hugh watching her or Harry with the same look he'd worn Sunday morning when he'd learned Harry had stayed the night at the flat. She thought she could still detect his displeasure beneath his interest in the sport.

For the past three days Ginny had spent as much time avoiding Hugh as she had done trying not to be alone with Harry. On more than one occasion in the last two days particularly, Hugh had been making pointed assertions to the fact that they needed to talk. She couldn't deny the necessity, but she didn't much feel like becoming involved in a conversation that had no discernible end. She was sure that Hugh was going to ask her that impossible to answer question: what now?

"Yes," Harry said shortly. He addressed his next question to Ginny. "Why not?"

"I still think that you could make it up," Ron replied before Ginny had a chance to answer. "It's not as if you've forgotten everything in three days, right? And it might do you some good to get out of the house for a few hours."

Ginny chose to feed James rather than answer Ron's question. As far as she was concerned, the matter was closed. She had made one journey outside the house since Monday, and that was to see Jordana and explain the circumstances. She had thought that she would have to present an entire case for why she wouldn't be able to play that week, but the minute she'd stepped into the office, Jordana had barked out a question as to why she was there. Ginny had been stunned at first, but it was only then that she had seen that morning's Daily Prophet. Splashed across the front page was a large picture of Harry, accompanied by a report on what had happened at their flat the previous day. Jordana dismissed Ginny almost at once, only half-joking about how it would be on her if they lost the match on Friday.

Ginny hadn't given the team much thought since Monday morning. She had more pressing matters. The wider world knew that Harry was out of hiding. She had known to expect such a story after Adrasteia's return and the story she'd told about her boss keeping her prisoner, Kingsley having to rescue her and the fact that her boss now knew Adrasteia had been helping Harry all along, yet it had still made her feel uneasy. Bellatrix Lestrange had obviously known for some time that Harry was still around, but she'd been wasting time trying to find him. If she did make a move on the Burrow, the most logical place Harry would be . . .

"I think he's right," Harry said. "You should play."

Ginny felt him watching her for several minutes before she finally looked over. The way Harry was watching her, she had a feeling he knew what she'd just been thinking and was agreeing with Ron because he thought she could use the distraction. What he and the others didn't realize was that however much she worried while she was at the Burrow, everything would be magnified tenfold if she were to leave. It was far more important to her to be there, ensuring the continued safety of her family, than at a Quidditch match.

Having made his point, Harry didn't pursue the subject, but Ron insisted on continuing the conversation. Eventually he roped Fred, George and even Percy to his side. Between mouthfuls they tried to convince Ginny that she should play, their assertions about the consequences of her not playing became wilder and wilder. Even Ginny, who was not in a humorous mood, and was busy feeding James, chuckled. The whole affair was called off when Molly stood up and said they had all better get ready or they would be late.

Though Molly had not mentioned where they were going, or why, everyone grew quiet. Their procession up the stairs was probably the quietest in the Burrow's history. Even James, who usually took Fred and George as his role models and made as much noise as humanly possible, stayed quiet as Ginny carried him up. He didn't even fuss when she deposited him into his crib so she could change, but he did watch her with wide eyes.

Harry remained on the landing with Ron and Hermione for several minutes, giving Ginny time to change. She was just stepping into her shoes when he knocked on the door. As he entered Ginny was visited by a feeling that had become all too common over the past few days: the incongruous nature of their relationship these days. It was not possible to count the number of times they'd seen each other naked, yet now it seemed indecent to reveal so much as a bare shoulder to him Yet she remained in the room while he got ready.

James was surprisingly cooperative. He didn't put up any sort of fuss as Ginny changed him into his dress robes and ran a comb through his hair. They were both ready to go in record time. She turned round to see if Harry was ready, thinking they would go down together. Not only was he not ready, he had somehow managed to get tangled in his robes. He was thrashing about and in some danger of once again re-injuring himself. This, combined with a call from her mother to hurry up, made Ginny place James back in his crib and go over to help.

"Sit," she ordered. Harry sat.

It took a few minutes, but finally everything was on the way it was supposed to be. Ginny debated making a comment about how he could lift a twenty pound child with no troubles but a set of robes defeated him. She held her tongue, though, because Harry looked thoroughly frustrated.

"It'll get easier." She unconsciously ran her fingers through his hair. This was something she did a lot with James and it struck her hard at that moment how very similar his hair was to Harry's. She had known it for months, but knowing it from memory was different than the reality. Such a small thing almost threatened to overwhelm her and she stepped away quickly, holding out her hand to help Harry up. They were barely inches apart for a moment. Ginny started to back away again, but Harry reached out. Ginny recoiled slightly, thinking he was reaching for her, but then his finger curled around the chain she was still wearing around her neck. Within a heartbeat, the ring was sitting in the palm of his hand.

"I thought I'd dreamt this," he said, more to himself than to Ginny. "Gin, I -"

Someone knocked on the door and it swung inward to reveal Hugh. He looked thoroughly uncomfortable being there, but discomfort changed to shock when he saw Harry and Ginny together. It was enough to unfreeze Ginny. She scooped the ring out of the palm of Harry's hand, tucked it down the front of her dress again, and then picked James up.

"My mum sent you up here to tell us to get a move on, I expect. You can tell her we're on our way. No, I'll tell her myself. Let's go."

Debate had arisen about whether it was wise for Harry to go to the funeral at all. Not only were there security concerns because of what Lestrange might do, but there was the general public to contend with. The Ministry certainly hadn't announced the time and location of Tonks's funeral or that Harry would be attending, but if word got out where he was, they couldn't rule out the possibility of a flash crowd. People had been hearing that Harry was back for days, but it didn't meant that they weren't still anxious to see him for themselves. Kingsley and Dawlish both made half-hearted attempts to convince Harry not to go, but he was adamant. They relented grudgingly, but insisted that there be extra security with Harry, Ginny and James.

That extra security turned out to be Tougas, and he was unusually late. Only Ron and Hermione remained behind to wait with them, but after a few minutes Ginny began to wish that they'd gone with the others. Ron tried to break the awkward silence by continuing his campaign to have her play in Friday's match. She began to suspect that he was continuing with this less because he wanted her to play that badly, but more because he didn't want to think about the funeral. None of them really did, so Ginny didn't stop Ron. Nevertheless, she was grateful when Tougas finally did show up.

As a rule Tougas was obsessively punctual. Harry immediately demanded the cause of his lateness, a question Ginny was on the verge of asking herself. In his usual fashion, Tougas went from looking grouchy to angry, and for a moment it looked as though he wasn't going to answer. FInally he offered a gruff apology, but would say no more about what caused him to be late. Given his taciturn nature such a reaction wasn't entirely unsurprising, however he seemed unnaturally grouchy. Surely some of that could be explained away by Tonks's death, and the funeral, but Ginny had the inexplicable sense that there was something more going on than that. She glanced at Harry, and from the frown he wore it looked as though he was thinking the same thing.

"Are you ready?" Tougas demanded, looking pointedly at his watch.

Ron helped Hermione to her feet despite her protests and they headed out first, telling Harry and Ginny that they would meet them there. And they did. Within a few minutes the Burrow was empty. Ron and Hermione Disapparated a full minute before Ginny, Harry and Tougas because there was a momentary argument about who should go with whom; Harry insisted Ginny and James go with Tougas. Finally that ludicrous notion was shot down. Ginny waited for the sound of their disappearance to fade before she made a move to join them. She was momentarily seized with the idea to turn around, go back into the house and hide under the covers. It was a desire not so easily mastered, but did not prevent her from taking a deep breath for strength and then turning on the spot.

They were the last to arrive, but not by much. The entire service was to take place in a graveyard not far from the Tonks's home. Ginny could see Mr and Mrs Tonks, Remus and Teddy standing several dozen feet to her left, still shaking hands with mourners. She could see from where she stood that Remus looked even worse than Mr and Mrs Tonks. She wanted both to go to him and to turn and walk in the opposite direction. How could she possibly explain to him how sorry she was. Words were meaningless. They couldn't undo what had happened to Tonks. At other times in her life she'd thought of how useful a time turner would be, but never more so than now.

"Are you ready for this?" Harry asked quietly.

Ginny nodded mutely. She hesitated for a moment when Harry held out his hand, but then she took it and they moved forward together.

None of them were crying, but both of Tonks's parents seemed near tears. Remus, on the other hand, stared straight ahead, showing no emotion whatsoever. He had shut down, and wasn't allowing himself to deal with the pain of losing his wife. It was unfathomable. Even after everything she'd been through with Harry's disappearance, there had always been that hope that he would be found. She had never truly allowed herself to imagine what would have happened if he hadn't returned. A lump rose painfully in her throat, and she hugged Remus as tightly as she could while still holding James.

"I'm so sorry, Remus."

He hugged her back, but let go very quickly and returned to staring at nothing in particular. And he reacted the same way when it was Harry's turn to offer condolences, though he did say something that Ginny couldn't hear. Harry nodded.

"He . . . er . . . asked if we would stand with him," he said, nodding in the direction of the coffin.

Ginny searched out her family, and saw them clustered together among the other mourners. She swung her head from their direction and back to Remus. She had wanted to stay with the rest of the family, but Remus's needs were greater than theirs at the moment.

When the time came for them to head to the grave, Remus stared straight ahead, still as a statue. He couldn't, or wouldn't move. Ginny and Harry each took one of his arms and led him up the aisle, while Mr and Mrs Tonks walked ahead of them, carrying James and Teddy. When they reached their destination, the children were transferred so that Harry was holding James and Ginny had Teddy. They stood either side of Remus and held his hands. Whatever support they could offer would be given even though Ginny knew it would be of little help.

The casket loomed large before them, drawing Ginny's eyes, and most of her attention. She barely caught any of the Minister's words. It seemed impossible now to think that one of her closest friends was lying there, someone who had been very much alive less than four days earlier, now about to be buried in the ground. Despite the weight of guilt that had been pressing on her for most of the past few days, it was still unreal. For a full minute Ginny was seized with the absurd idea that Tonks would suddenly spring up out of the coffin, probably knocking it off it's catafalque as she did. Of course she would probably fall on her face, but that wouldn't stop her from yelling that it had all been another elaborate plan of Kingsley's to throw Lestrange off, but it had gone too far.

Nothing of the sort happened. The Minister finished talking and the air was filled with the sounds of sniffling and sobbing people. The woman next to her, dabbed at her eyes, and only then did Ginny realize that it was Pamela Brazill. She turned away quickly on the pretense of checking on Teddy and Remus. Both were unchanged. Teddy clung to her tightly and watched everything with wide eyes, much as James was doing in Harry's arms.

When the Minister had lead them in the last prayer, he stepped away and Kingsley took his place, clutching a roll of parchment so tightly that it was in imminent danger of being turned to mulch. He stood without staying anything for several long seconds, alternating between scanning the crowd like he was watching for troublemakers, and staring down at the crumpled paper in his shaking hand. It was this crack in his usually unbreakable calmness that made Ginny pay more attention to him than she had initially intended. Several days earlier it would have satisfied Ginny to see the Minister for Magic this uncomfortable with the end results of his grand plan, but now it just made her angrier with him. He should have known!

"No words of my own could ever be enough to fill the hole that was left in all of our lives by Tonks's death. I therefore have some written by someone else that she asked me to read, should the need ever arise." Kingsley smoothed out the parchment, and watched it for a moment, before lowering it and returning his attention to the congregation. "It is sometimes hard for people to understand what it is to be an Auror. Each and every one of us starts with the purpose of catching the people who want to do the most harm. We all know of the real possibility of death and danger lurking all around us, regardless of how much we prepare ourselves, and take every safety precaution. We hope for the best, but each prepare for the worst in our own way. Nymphadora Tonks was no exception. She asked me to read this, a poem that she said expressed her wishes perfectly:

Remember me when I am gone away,

Gone far away into the silent land;

When you can no more hold me by the hand,

Nor I half turn to go, yet turning stay.

Remember me when no more day by day

You tell me of our future that you plann'd:

Only remember me; you understand

It will be late to counsel then or pray.

Yet if you should forget me for a while

And afterwards remember, do not grieve:

For if the darkness and corruption leave

A vestige of the thoughts that once i had,

Better by far you should forget and smile

Than that you should remember and be sad.'

When he was finished reading, Kingsley immediately walked straight toward them. Stopping before Remus, he rolled up the parchment and held it out. "I know it is not much, but I thought you would want to keep this. Tonks transcribed it herself."

Remus took the parchment, but did not say or do anything else. This lack of reaction stunned Kingsley, for he stood in front of his friend for several long seconds in shocked silence. He dithered for a moment as though he was trying to say something, but gave it up, issued his condolences, and moved left to say something to Harry. Ginny couldn't hear what it was because of the people starting to mill around her in conversation. Something turbulent rose in her stomach when she saw Harry nod. If he was agreeing to something else - No, he wouldn't be that stupid. A moment's doubt crossed her mind and Ginny was on the verge of letting out some of her anger with the Minister. It was a good thing for him that he chose to walk away rather than past her. She thought of following him to give him a piece of her mind, but this was the wrong place. Ginny looked to the coffin and issued a silent apology to Tonks.

Remus had stood so still during the service, that Ginny wondered if he had perhaps turned to stone. From the periodic glances shared with Harry, she gathered that he was wondering something similar. They also agreed that they would let Remus take the lead. It was always impossible to tell how a person would react to death and they wanted to be there should he need someone to lean on. That being said, as the minutes stretched on and people began to pay their last respects before departing, she couldn't help but shift her feet. Teddy was growing heavy in her arms, and it didn't quite seem right to hand him off. It wasn't too long, however, before Mr and Mrs Tonks approached, with red and puffy eyes. As soon as they were within arms reach, Mrs Tonks took Teddy from Ginny. She buried her face in his hair while her husband took up Remus's stance, except that he was staring at the coffin holding his daughter as though he couldn't believe what he was seeing. They eventually steeled themselves and headed for the casket, taking Remus with them. He went willingly enough, but again with no change of expression.

"He's worse than yesterday," Harry said in an undertone, closing the distance between them.

"It's the finality of it all. Without seeing her like that, he could hold out hope that maybe it wasn't real." This was a feeling Ginny knew well, having lived it for months and months. In the quiet hours of the night when sleep would not come, she had often struggled against such a scene, with herself in Lupin's place. It was a nightmare that had so nearly come to pass that for a very brief moment it felt as though it was her reality. She automatically reached for Harry's hand, its warmth was a comfort. What was more, she felt not only relief, but a sense of triumph, a sense that passed quickly and left her feeling ill.

James had remained remarkably quiet and still for the entire duration of the funeral. He broke this silence as they stood watching the backs of Remus and Tonks's parents. "Mumumum' he said, stretching his arms towards Ginny, his usually happy expression gone. This outburst also interrupted Harry's focus on Remus. Without batting an eye Ginny caught James up and snuggled him close to her, momentarily burying her face in his hair as had become her custom when she was upset. The last thing she wanted was sympathy, not when they were here because of her.

"I'm fine. Really," she said, brushing Harry's hand away from her face. She smoothed the damp spot she'd left on James's hair, cast one last look in the direction of the casket and then retreated the two dozen feet to a bench. Harry followed, and Ginny could not deny that she was glad of this.

They sat in silence for several more minutes, only because departing mourners were passing them. As soon as there was a break, however, Harry took the opportunity to speak, reiterating a point he'd been making for the previous four days: "It wasn't ever likely that we were all going to get out unharmed anyway. We were outnumbered -"

"What did Kingsley say to you earlier? What did he want now?" Ginny interrupted. The last thing she wanted to do was to rehash a conversation that would only serve to upset her more.

"He didn't want anything. He's concerned about Remus. He said we need to keep an eye on him. That's all, I swear." Harry held up his right hand as though he was pledging a solemn oath.

"Kingsley is the one you need to keep an eye on," Ginny replied flatly. She saw out of the corner of her eye that Remus, Teddy and the Tonkses were finally stepping away from the coffin and heading down the same path she and Harry had walked a few minutes earlier.

At first it seemed like Remus and the Tonkses had deliberately chosen to come down that path because they saw Ginny, Harry and James there. They quickly discovered that this thought was wrong, for the party of four was startled when Harry and Ginny stood up in front of them. Condolences and hugs were offered again. Remus looked even worse now than he had during the service. Ginny gave him a particularly long hug, repeatedly telling him how sorry she was. She only just held herself together. The last thing that Remus needed now was for her to go to pieces. Mrs Tonks looked dead on her feet, and was the first to say she wanted to go. Thereafter they all started to move, Ginny and Harry falling into step either side of Remus, who was walking just a few paces behind the Tonkses.

Remus kept up with his in-laws for a minute, but he soon started falling back. They looked back once, but he waived them on, saying he would catch up. He waved to Teddy, who was staring back at his father from his grandfather's arms, feigned a smile that was more a grimace, and then turned round to stare back down the path they'd just walked. He stood that way for several long minutes, saying and doing nothing else. Harry and Ginny silently agreed that they would allow him the time he needed to grieve. As the minutes lengthened, however, James started to fuss, and he was growing heavy in Ginny's arms. Though she didn't want to, she knew she would have to bow out, at the very least to see if someone else in the family could take her son.

"Kingsley was right about one thing," Remus said, breaking his minutes long silence. He had the parchment with Tonks's poem in his hand again and was staring at it intently. "She was prepared. She didn't want this, but she was prepared. She kept saying 'when I'm gone' . . . I didn't think it would be this soon."

"None of us did," Harry replied. "It was -"

"Too soon? Yes, it was. Too soon, especially because I was a fool for an entire year."

"Cautious, not foolish," Ginny said.

"Cautious? It was a foolish waste of time. I thought I knew what was right, and look where it got me? Look." Remus gripped Ginny's arm tightly and forced her to spin around so they were facing the coffin again. "That's what my caution bought. Lost time that I cannot reclaim."

His move was startling. Whether it was because he realized what he had done, or because James started to cry, Remus had already let go by the time Harry intervened. Issuing a hasty, but no less genuine apology, he retreated several steps, collapsed onto the nearest bench and buried his face in his hands.

Remus's reaction was the deciding factor for Ginny. Waiving away Harry's concern, she left him with Remus and walked with James to where she could see her family standing. Her heart was still racing. Remus had never acted so before, at least not in her presence. Startling though it was, she thought she could understand it. She knew from her own experience that people did crazy things when they were grieving.

"Are you OK? What was all that about?" Hugh asked the minute Ginny reached the group, nodding his head in Remus's direction. "What did he do to you?"

"He's upset. He's having a hard time with this," Ginny replied, shaking Hugh off before handing James over to her mother, who had her arms out to take him. Looking back she saw that Remus was still sitting on the bench, Harry had joined him. It was hard to tell from this distance, but it looked as though Remus was doing most of the talking. "He regrets waiting a year to get together with Tonks."

A discussion broke out amongst the family members about whether Remus's decision was right or wrong. Ginny listened for several minutes without contributing. She started to drift away from them, lest she be asked to give an opinion she didn't have. For years she had shared the majority opinion, that Remus had been ridiculous to wait so long, but suddenly she thought she could understand, at least partly. Remus most certainly had suffered from a lot of 'what ifs.' Questions like: What if he bit Tonks? What if her family hated he for marrying a werewolf? What if he hurt Teddy? What if Tonks were to die? What if it had been Harry and not Tonks? Suddenly Ginny was considering a whole different set of 'what if' questions, questions without simple answers, and with consequences that made her very uneasy.

Harry found her some time later, leaning against a tree, lost in her own thoughts.

"How's Remus?" she asked

"Distraught," Harry replied. "He sends his apologies again for grabbing you. Are you OK?"

"I'm fine. Did he leave?"

"Yeah he did. He said he wanted to go to Teddy, that he didn't want to make the same mistake with him as he did with Tonks." Harry was not looking at her, but in the direction of her family. They were milling about, and it took him some time to find James who was still being held by Molly, who was taking with Hugh. Harry's expression darkened.

"His friend is back from her holiday today," Ginny said. "He's going to stay with her as soon as he collects his things from mum and dad's."

Harry teetered on the verge of speech for several seconds, finally asking "Do I have anything to worry about?"

"That's a presumptuous question," she said. "I would say there's plenty, even without involving my friends."

"Friend?" Harry asked, his dark expression lifting slightly. He looked relieved. "I'd heard - and I thought -"

"Yes, friend. Maybe there was the possibility of more, but . . Is this really the time to discuss this?" Ginny moved her eyes from her family to the casket..

Harry followed her gaze, his eyes also resting on the casket. "For almost the entire time that I sat with Remus after you left he would only talk about all of the time he wasted with Tonks. He said it was his biggest regret. He warned me against making the same mistake, and I don't want to."

"Harry -"

"No, Gin, listen," he said, taking her hand. "I've made mistakes, huge, probably unrecoverable mistakes. I would understand if you never wanted to see me again."

"I -"

"Just a minute," he continued, tightening his grip on her hand so that it was almost painful. "I just need to know if you think we can ever get back what we had before. Can we get past this?"

"You want an answer now?" Ginny asked in shock when she saw he was watching her expectantly.

"Yes."

"This is really the wrong time for this conversation." She started to walk away. Harry caught her hand and stopped her leaving. Frustrated and upset, Ginny rounded on him. "What do you want from me? You're the one who left, stayed hidden for months and months, lied and spied, and now you think you can start making demands?"

"I'm not asking that we pick up where we left off, Gin, I simply want to know if you think we have a future."

"It isn't simple," Ginny replied. "Nothing about us, about this situation, is."

"I still love you. That's simple."

"No, that's why it's complicated. If I didn't still love you it would be easy to wash my hands of this mess. And there's James to consider. And what if something happens again? It was hard enough this time . . . I don't think I can . . . No, I can't."

Her words became more jumbled as her thoughts began to race. Ginny started to pace, walking faster and faster as wave after wave of thoughts started to crash over her, both good and bad. They'd been through everything, from the first time they'd made love when she wasn't sure she'd ever see him again, to his disgusting but short-lived accusation that she'd willingly slept with his cousin. It had taken what felt like a million year to get over that last, but she had. They'd been happy in those last months before James was born, but then Harry had disappeared. Could she go through it again? Did she want to? Her hand closed over the ring hanging around her neck. She walked back and forth a few more times, then she pulled the chain off, and stared at the ring. Very slowly, she unclasped the chain and let the ring slide into her palm. She covered it with her fingers, closing her eyes as she prayed for the strength to make the right decision.

"Here." Turning round so she was facing Harry again, she transferred the ring from her hand to his, closing his fingers over it. She wanted to apologize, to offer an explanation for her decision, but when their eyes met all words caught in her throat. They were standing in their new flat, several months out from that horrible incident with his cousin, happy about the future and excited about a new baby. Then they were standing underneath a large yew tree on a blustery March day, the pain of the previous eighteen months imploding the happiness of that memory.

"When I gave this to you I never thought you'd give it back," Harry said quietly.

"Neither did I," Ginny replied, equally as quietly. "I'm sorry."

"No, I'm sorry. More than you can ever know."

Harry brushed a tear from her cheek. Ginny hugged him as tightly as she dared, and didn't want to let go, but did. Then there was nothing more to say. With a great deal of effort, Ginny turned her back and walked away from Harry, towards her family.


End file.
